


Experience Necessary

by Guardian_of_Hope



Series: Search, Rescue, & Retrieval, the Clones Era [7]
Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Canon Typical Violence, Diplomacy, Found Family, Gen, Kidnapping, Mission Fic, Politics, lightsaber diplomacy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-16
Updated: 2017-06-30
Packaged: 2018-10-19 14:18:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 28,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10641615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Guardian_of_Hope/pseuds/Guardian_of_Hope
Summary: Jedi General Kara Saje uses her past experience to track down the missing Jedi General Jaran Val.  She also finds herself facing a test she never expected to experience.





	1. Arrival

It took them nearly eight hours to get to Aurin.  After spending two hours trying to plan for something they had no real intelligence about, Kara sent Zip to watch over the preparation of the cold weather gear and went to meditate.  It wasn’t often that Kara managed deep, long term meditation, but she managed to last almost five hours before a persistent chime pulled her back to the land of the aware.

“This is General Saje,” Kara said into the comm.

“We are preparing to drop out of hyperspace,” a comm technician announced.

“I’ll be right there,” Kara said and killed the connection.  She dressed in her armor and headed to find Zip waiting for her outside the bridge with a spill proof cup of caff.  “Did you even find time to take a break?”  She asked him as she took a sip.

“Of course,” Zip replied, “I’m a soldier, sir, we can sleep anywhere.  Besides, it’s a general agreement that we don’t want me to take stimulants, especially when I’ve mainlined caff.”

Kara raised her eyebrows at him.

“Apparently, I become cruel and unusual,” Zip said, “as well as losing all ability to be still.”

“I’ll remember that,” Kara said dryly.

They entered the bridge, taking up what was becoming their usual spot by the door, able to see everything without being in anyone’s way.  They grabbed the railing there and watched as the ship came out of hyperspace.

Aurin looked like a cold place, while there was a band of green around the widest point of the planet, the rest of the land was white and black, except for the glittering, deep blue of the water sources, some of which had pieces of white that made Kara think of space.

“Pretty,” Zip said.

“Looks cold,” Kara replied.  She raised her voice, “Captain, any sign of the Justified?”

“Yes sir,” Sei’lar replied, “It’s on the far side of the planet, but we are hailing them.”

The Bothan was standing by at the communications station, watching the Twi’lek do his job.  Kara sipped her caff and tried not to ask for more updates.  They would need time to communicate with the _Justified,_ Jaran Val’s cruiser, as well as the Aurin people about getting the access they need.  She was beginning to feel a lot more alert, so many of her missions with Master Honso had started this way, and the feel of it was exciting and familiar.

“No sign of the Separatists,” Sei’lar announced, relaxing.  “Still no sign of the General either, but we are cleared to approach and dispatch shuttles.”

Kara nodded, “Thank you, Captain.”  She turned and led Zip out of the Bridge, heading for her conference room.

“General,” Zip said, “may I ask, have you decided what is to be done with the men?”

“We’re all going,” Kara said, “and I want to make changes to my security detail.”

“Changes, sir?”  Zip asked.

Kara nodded, “I’m not so sanguine about my chances should we run into Grievous.  I can handle a lightsaber well enough, but Master Mundi had five other Jedi with him, Grievous killed two and left two more badly injured, and then they had to retreat under cover fire.”

“I believe I missed that report,” Zip said.

“The full report isn’t out yet,” Kara said, “Padawan Katrua’s master is with the Healers, so she learned of the events from General Secura and General Shaak Ti, who are there to recover.  Official word on the matter is to watch out for Grievous and be careful about engaging him.”

“I will remember that,” Zip said softly.

“If we should run into Grievous, I think our best tactics should involve mass fire and explosions,” Kara said as they entered the conference room.  She smiled at the six officers who were waiting for her. “Gentlemen.”

“General,” they replied in unison.

“When we land on Aurin, I will be assuming control of the 429th until we determine what happened to General Val,” Kara said.  “That does not mean that any of you will be subject to orders from the 429th officers unless it is in battle or would otherwise provide for the common safety.  It also does not mean that you have a right to issue orders to the men of the 429th unless it is in battle or would otherwise provide for the common safety.  If there appears to be a conflict of interest, you are to notify me immediately and I will settle the matter.  Understood?”

She smiled at the confirmation.  Then nodded at Zip.

“Our current plan is to team our squads with 429th squads to cover the path General Val’s scouting party was to take,” Zip said.  “General Saje has indicated she wishes to see the last known coordinates to see what can be drawn from the Force there.”

“Nice pun,” Kara said softly, earning a smirk from Zip.  “Knight Squad, you’ll be with me, along with Sergeant Speedy’s squad and a 429th squad.  As I was discussing with Zip, we may be seeing a new player out there, General Grievous.  He is a cyborg, and a skilled lightsaber user.  Given his demonstrated abilities, we’ve been ordered to avoid the general at all costs, and I agree.  Should an encounter with the general prove unavoidable, then your orders are mass fire and explosions.  The 425th is not a combat unit, and we aren’t expected to die like one.  Our job is to stay alive, that others may live.”

Kara hesitated a moment, “Outside of Grievous, this feels like a kidnapping.  My Master and I have worked with Judicial on kidnapping cases for years.  This isn’t going to be a go in, get the General, get out, because we have to find him and we need to know who and why.  It may be the actions of local Separatist sympathizers looking to curry favor or support.  Things are going to run a lot differently here than with General Secura.  I may ask you to do things that are different or strange, and I’m not promising we’ll have any opportunity to shoot people.”

“What kind of strange things?”  Blaze asked.

“Eavesdropping, following people unnoticed,” Kara waved her hand, “if we’ve got someone who can code slice, I’ll want them on the primary investigative team.  We also have to make sure we make nice with the locals, this is a Republic held world and we want them happy to have us.”

“And the 429th?”  Screech asked.

“I want them to carry on as usual for right now,” Kara said after a moment, glancing at Zip, “we’ve been ordered not to get involved with that, but something like this, I can’t solve a kidnapping while tripping over six hundred men anxious to get their CO back.  When we get down there, Knight Squad and I will go make nice with the locals.  Lieutenant Screech, you’ve got bunk duty, find our home base and get it settled.”

“I’m going to make nice with the 429th,” Zip said, tapping his datapad, “and prepare for the trip to check out the battle site.”  He sighed softly.

“Problem?”  Kara asked.

Zip shrugged, “I just have this feeling that it’s not going to be easy, sir.”

“It’ll be fine,” Kara said, reaching over to pat Zip’s arm.  “Maybe we’ll have to reassure them they’ll get their General back, but you’re less threatening as a first contact than I would be.”

“Less threatening, sir?”  Blaze said, “Zip?”

Zip sighed, “Please do not give our General an exaggerated ideal of my history and abilities.”

Kara sat back, wondering where this conversation was going to go, and hoping they forgot she was there for a while.

“I’m sorry, sir, must be some other Lieutenant I’m thinking about who used to give the trainers fits for being creative,” Blaze said.  “I mean, it’s not like your name is Zippy or anything.”

“I didn’t give them fits,” Zip grumbled, “The Fett thought it was funny.”

 _“Udessi, vod,”_ Blaze said, “It was funny.  At least, from the outside.”

 _“Kaysh mirsh solus,”_ Hook muttered to Foggy.

“I thought we weren’t going to…” Foggy said, clearly confused.

Kara blinked as they all looked at her, “What?  I’m not going to complain if you want to speak to each other in something other than Basic.  I mean, I’d prefer it if you spoke to _me_ in Basic until I can get my hands on a language disk, but don’t let my lack of understanding keep you from your own language and culture.”

The men exchanged long looks, “It’s all right General,” Zip said finally.  “That was a bit rude of us.”

“Sounded like you were insulting each other,” Kara said.

“Well, Blaze told Zip to calm down,” Hook offered.

“I may have called Blaze an idiot,” Foggy said rubbing the back of his head and looked guilty, “because we’ve been trying not to speak Mando’a around you.  The other General didn’t like us speaking a language he couldn’t understand.”

Kara hissed in frustration, “He was an idiot, full stop.  Feel free to speak Mando’a, okay?  I may need a translation or two, and some pronunciation lessons after I get that language tape, but don’t let that stop you.”  She paused, “Unless you’d rather I didn’t learn Mando’a.  I mean, I don’t want to butt in where I’m not wanted.”

The comm chimed, “General Saje, we are in orbit and ready to launch shuttles.”

“Let’s talk about that later, sir,” Zip said.

“Yes,” Kara agreed.  “Sergeant Blaze, make sure Knight Squad knows to be on their best and least threatening behavior around the civilians?  We want them to like us.”

“Yes sir,” Blaze agreed as they all stood up.

Kara reached for her pack only to realize she’d left it in her room.  “I’ll meet you all in the hanger,” she said as she followed the officers into the hallway.

Her new pack was another over the shoulder bag that belted around the waist for extra stability.  In it, she had her datapads, a change of the silver-grey under suit, extra energy packs for her blaster, some emergency ration bars, a small med kit and a second comm unit, which reminded her that she still didn’t have a wrist unit.

Kara checked her belt for her primary comm unit, lightsaber, and blaster, making sure the blaster was fully charged.  Then she pulled out a second pack from the box that had been brought to her, and loaded it with a set of sleep wear, the more formal Jedi robes, and more under-suits.  If they were going to be dirtside, and dealing with civilians, she might need to look the part.  But for now, she’d keep to her armor, with an added cloak against the promised cold weather.

Pack over her shoulder under the russet cloak, Kara headed down to the hanger, amused to realize that Blaze and Zip were together with Knight Squadron in the only shuttle they had, versus the gun ships that would transfer down the others.

Kara dropped her pack just inside the door on a small stack of boxes as she came onboard, mustering up a quick smile for her men.  She passed through them, making sure to catch eyes from the ones who were still carrying their helmets.  There were a few new tattoos, Kara noted.  Chip had added a small circular tattoo under his right eye that was still bright red.  She paused, aware of the bracelet on her wrist with the same mark.  He glanced at her and gave her a smirk.  Kara shook her head slightly and moved ahead to the cockpit.

“Jumper,” she said with a smile as she saw their pilot, “are we ready?”

“Soon as you strap in, sir,” Jumper replied, returning her smile.

Kara slid into the empty seat, “Let’s get down there.”

There was a slight bump as they lifted off and Kara watched through the front screen as they headed down to Aurin.

“By the way,” Zip said, “did you remember your commlink?”

“I have two,” Kara replied, “and my new datapad has a link built in if I need it.”

“When did you get a new datapad?”  Zip asked.

“I ordered it before we got to Coruscant,” Kara replied, “I’ve been wanting to upgrade my programs, but my old datapad didn’t have the right processor.  I don’t like giving something up that still has use, so I’ve just kept abreast of the new designs until I needed a new one.  It was waiting when I got to the Temple.”

“And you didn’t have to put a request up the supply line,” Zip said.  “I put out a few feelers while we were there, and we aren’t the only ones reporting supply problems.”

“On the one hand, at least it’s not just us,” Kara said, “but on the other hand, I’m about ready to start looking myself.”  She rubbed her wrist for a moment, “It would be fun.”

“Fun?”  Zip asked.

“A hunt like that?”  Kara grinned, “I grew up on those kinds of hunts.  Theft, kidnapping, spice runners, smuggling, that’s how I spent my Padawan days.  Master Honso worked with Judicial, so that’s where I went.”  She turned her chair to regard Zip, “A kidnapping like this?  It’s not my first hyper jump.”

“I thought Jedi were diplomats, sir,” Jumper said after a moment.

“We all get some basic training as diplomats, but some of us are better than others,” Kara replied.  “Just like some of us become Healers or Archivists.  I did all right in diplomacy, but I don’t have the skill with words to have made a focus of it.”

“I’d say you were a gifted speaker, sir,” Zip ventured.

Kara shook her head, “I’m direct, and a decent story teller, but I’m not always good at dealing with people.  It’s easy here, and with Judicial, but the political stuff just trips me up every time.”

“Isn’t part of your job to make nice with the locals?”  Zip asked as the Aurin capital city appeared in the view screen.

Kara shrugged, “I know how to make do.”

They were silent as Jumper spoke with the air control tower and set the shuttle down in it’s assigned docking bay.  Kara was amused to note that the gunships were directed away to the clone base outside the city.

“Jumper, take Captain Zip over there as soon as we’re off.  I’m leaving my pack on the shuttle.  No matter what they tell you, Zip, I’m bunking down with the 425th.”  Kara stood up as they landed, lifting the hood to her cloak and wrapped her cloak around her before heading to the back of the ship.

Knight Squadron looked up as she walked past.  She stopped at the back of the ship by the ramp and gave each of them a long look.

“Mash, Chip,” she said, “you’re with me, no matter what.  They won’t be happy about your rifles, so I may ask you to leave them with the squadron, but you won’t have to give up your hand weapons.  Fallback, if you have to make us an exit, make sure you keep civilian injuries and casualties to a minimum.  Remember, when we’re in the city, we have to keep our threat profile as low as possible.  This is a Republic world, we want them to appreciate us, not fear us.”  She reached over to lower the ramp, “Let’s call it, company manners.”

She turned as the ramp finished lowering and walked down the ramp, pulling serenity about her the same as she had done her cloak, and preparing herself to meet whoever was waiting for her.  Behind her, she heard the synchronized sound of her squadron following her.


	2. A Blast From The Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zip meets the 429th Captains.

Zip checked over the datapad that Kara had given him.  It had the list of officers in the 429th, and he couldn’t help the twist in his gut as he read that their commander, Gill, was recently deceased.  He remembered when they lost Kitt, just before the General, how that had been a shock, the way Kitt had been spitting out desperate orders and then static, mid-word.  The other Captains had tried to pick up the slack, but they’d lost Attie and Hex already, and he thought they’d lost Nox and Jewels with Kitt, and then Jinks, Buster, and Ditto had gone in one mass fire.  He wasn’t sure when they lost Piper, but it had been a shock when Screech had grabbed his arm and bluntly told him there wasn’t anyone else to take over.

For a moment Zip forgot he was on a shuttle, all he was aware of was that moment, of realizing that there was no Commander, no Captains except him, a field promotion that hadn’t even hit the GAR’s command to be official, and everyone was looking to him to turn their General’s incoherent rambling into a strategy.  At least the General had only given him a single order, to get the battalion to the exit point, using the cave system they’d mapped just before the battle.

He would have done it, had a plan, had given orders for the withdrawal, had the ships preparing the airstrike they needed for cover, had sent Screech with the wounded into the caves, when there had been a massive explosion.  Later, he’d been told it was a Separatist cruiser’s turbolasers opening up on their ground forces, but it had resulted in most of a battalion dying instantly.  He’d all but dragged the General to the cave mouth before the lasers quit, and the General had sworn he’d be right behind them, to get everyone clear of the detonators around the cave mouth, and claiming the trigger from Brave.

None of them had expected the General to set the detonators off while he was still on the _other_ side of the line.  They hadn’t even realized the truth until Zip and the last squadron, Bucket Squadron, had emerged on the other side, and the General never came.

“Captain.”  Zip looked up to find the shuttle settled on the ground, “Is everything all right sir?”  Jumper asked, giving him an odd look.

“Yes,” Zip said, “just thinking.  I guess I should go meet the Captains.”

“Good luck with that,” Jumper said, giving him a salute.

“Let me or Lieutenant Swoop know if you need anything,” Zip said as he stood up.  “Make sure no one messes with the General’s bag until someone from the 425th comes for it.”

“Of course, sir,” Jumper replied.  He patted the blaster on his hip, “no need to worry about me.”

Zip stepped into the back of the shuttle and found Lieutenant Swoop stepping up the gangway.

“Everything all right?” Zip asked.

Swoop rolled his eyes, “Had a good look at the Captains here?”

Zip frowned, but let the familiarity slide.  He knew that if he tried to make Swoop adhere to military discipline in private, someone would be hearing stories about some of the embarrassing things that he’d gotten involved in before he’d earned a CC designation.  There were disadvantages to serving as commanding officer to someone who was there when you came out of the tube.

“Why don’t you just tell me?”  Zip said with a sigh.

“Well, remember that feud you had with the trainer who designed the exercises?”  Swoop said.

“You encouraged me,” Zip replied.  “What was it you said?  As long as you didn’t end up naked?”

Swoop waved his hand at Zip, “Yeah, well, the 429th’s surviving six captains?  They might have been the officers most humiliated by your little feud, seeing as they headed up the units you were up against."

“And they recognized you?”  Zip asked.

“Of course,” Swoop said with a challenging grin.

Zip rubbed his forehead, “Once they recognized you, I imagine the first thing you did was tell them about me?”

“Why would I want to spoil the surprise?”  Swoop said.  “I just want to see their faces when they realize it’s you.”

“CC-2978, you are nothing but trouble,” Zip said shaking his head.

“Can’t be, Trouble’s in the 104th,” Swoop said.

Zip cleared his throat, “I guess I’d better go meet the Captains and get this started.  Go kiss your boyfriend.”

“He’s…” Swoop trailed off as Jumper pointed cleared his throat, “my partner, not my boyfriend.”

“What’s the difference?”  Zip asked, then he held up his hand, “No, don’t tell me.  Just, don’t cause any trouble.”  He and Swoop stepped around each other and Zip headed out to see the Captains.

He knew the General had met Finn at the spaceport in the city, leaving him with the other five.  As Zip stepped onto the ramp, he shivered slightly in the bitter wind.  He glanced around and wanted to groan at the sight of who was waiting for him.

“Captain Zip,” the Captain said.

“Captain Jaws,” Zip replied as he walked off the ramp.

“I am,” Jaws said.

Zip realized that until he took his helmet off, it was very likely that they wouldn’t actually know who he was.  He wondered if he could get away with not taking it off.

“I need to meet with all the captains,” Zip said, “I have orders from General Saje to pass over.”

“The captains are in the command center,” Jaws said, “if you’ll follow me.”  They headed across the compound and Zip tried to keep his occasional shivers from being noticeable.  “Is the General really going to take over from General Val?” Jaws ventured finally.

“General Saje will be assuming command for now,” Zip said, “but she has no intention of attempting to merge the 429th and 425th.  When General Val has been located and retrieved, command will pass back to him.  I got the impression that it’s just word play for command.  The General isn’t happy about it, we’re search and rescue, not combat.”

“She?”  Jaws said, “The General’s female?”

“Yes,” Zip said, “and a damn good General.”

They entered one of the prefab buildings and Zip sighed softly at the sudden decrease of wind.  There was a second set of doors, but Jaws stopped there to pull his helmet off.  Zip hesitated a moment, then reached up and pulled his own helmet off and tucking it under his arm.  When they had stomped their feet to clear them of mud and snow, they walked forward into the next room.  Zip glanced over at Jaws, but Jaws didn’t look in any way resentful or upset just yet.

There were four captains and two lieutenants waiting for them.

“Captains, Lieutenants,” Zip said with a nod.

“Captain,” the other four replied.

The two Lieutenants saluted.

“I’m Zip, CC-2976,” Zip said as he put his bucket down on a ledge by the door, “425th Battalion, Search, Rescue, and Retrieval under the command of Jedi General Kara Saje.”

And there went the looks of recognition.

One of the captains, who had a scale pattern tattoo over half his face, surged forward as anger twisted his features.

“You!”

“Me,” Zip said, fighting to keep the smirk internal.  “Now, I have some orders to pass on from the General.  As you have been informed, she is to assume command until General Val returns.  This means that the 429th and the 425th will observe separate command structures.  The 429th is to continue the patrols and duties set by General Val for now, although General Saje will at times require men for her investigation, but she’ll express those needs in her own time.”

“Really?”  Jaws said, “That’s all you have to say.”

Zip closed his eyes for a moment to keep a hold of his temper, “Look, I get that you have an issue with me, but I’m here to do a job and so are you.  If you feel you absolutely cannot work with me because of a training exercise a year ago, then feel free to explain that to the General.  In the meantime, I have my people to get settled and prepared for the General’s return.”

“Where is she, anyway?”  Captain Shell asked.

“Meeting with the local government,” Zip said, “She said it would be necessary for the investigation.”

“Then we have plenty of time to settle something,” Jaws said bluntly.

“What, the fact that in certain circumstances I’m a better tactician than any of you?”  Zip asked, “Because that’s really not the point here.  The point is that I need the information about the disappearance site, my General wants to speak with the three who brought word about Grievous, and preparations need to be made to go to the disappearance site.  Plus, you have your standing duties from General Val to fulfill, remember?”

“Oh, we’ll get to that,” Jaws began.

“Attention!”

Zip wasn’t sure if he was grateful or angry when Kara strode past him, dressed in her reddish-brown armor, disappointment swirling around her like a cloud, with a hint of anger.  He fell into attention and saluted quickly.

“General Saje.”

Kara gave him a look and a slight nod and he fell to at ease, glancing now at the door.  Chip and Mash were there, with two civilians.  No, Zip corrected himself, the boy was wearing a military style uniform, he might be part of the local defense forces.  The girl wore fitted trousers under a top that fell to her ankles and was split at the sides.  Whatever else the top might have been was hidden under the fur hood and cloak.

Both of them had black skin, unlike anything Zip had ever seen before, although they looked human, the girl had grey-green eyes that looked almost cruel as she studied him in turn.  The boy had purple eyes that seemed to glow as he studied the room in turn.

“I am Jedi General Kara Saje,” Kara announced in a tightly controlled voice.  “At the order of the Jedi Council, _your high commanders,_ I am assumed command of the 429 th the moment I stepped foot on Aurin. _As you were informed by the Jedi Council._   I sent Captain Zip here to begin preparations for my investigation.  I did not send him here to be targeted and attacked for things that happened long ago.”

Jaws opened his mouth, and Kara jerked her hand up.  The Captain lifted smoothly and quickly into the air, stopping just short of the ceiling.

“I _do not care_ that once upon a time Zip beat you in a training exercise.  _This_ is not a training exercise.  This is a war and you are impeding progress.”  Kara looked at the Captains.  “I need to speak with the scouts who came back.  You have fifteen minutes to secure a conference room for my use and to present them to me.”  She pointed at one of them, “You, make sure there are speeder bikes prepared for our departure within the next two hours.”  Then she pointed at Ray, “And you will appoint a squad to travel with Knight and Shadow when I leave.  The rest of you will carry out your standing duties until I say otherwise.  _Is that understood?”_

The salutes presented would have made any of their trainers proud.

“Sir, yes sir!”

“Good,” Kara said.  She flicked a glance up at Jaws and he sank back down to the ground, looking actually terrified.  “Captain,” she said.

“Jaws, sir,” Zip supplied softly.

“Captain Jaws, apologize for using you to make my point,” Kara said softly.  “I know you are all worried about General Val, I am too.  It’s only that being petty and fighting each other will double the time it takes to find him.”

“I understand,” Captain Jaws said.

“But you may never forgive me,” Kara said, bowing her head slightly.  She gestured, “This is Lieutenant Kodah and Lady Zakiyah.  They have been assigned as my liaisons to the defense forces and the government.  For now, they have limited access to the base command center, the commissary, and the speeder bay.  Our lives are not for them to view as entertainment, but they are to be treated with the respect due their rank.”

“Understood,” Jaws said, and the other Captains echoed him.

“Get busy,” Kara said sharply.  She turned to Zip, “Zakiyah, Kodah, this is Captain Zip with the 425th.”

Zip nodded at the teenagers approached.  “Lieutenant, my Lady.”

“Captain,” the boy said with a quick salute.

Zip glanced at Kara nervously, but Kara only tilted her head slightly.  Zip sighed and returned the salute.  He’d never been saluted by someone who wasn’t also a brother, it was very odd.

“Zip, walk with me,” Kara said, she turned to the teens, “you two stay here for now.”

Zip followed Kara back outside, collecting his bucket as he went.

“I’m sorry, sir,” Zip said, “I didn’t realize there’d be any trouble.”

“It’s all right,” Kara replied giving him a smile.  “I’m not sure any of us expected this to be easy, after all.  I’m sorry about the kids.  It was the lesser of two evils.”

“Oh?”  Zip asked finally.

“My other option was one of the leaders of the local LEO group, and the man was insufferable,” Kara said.  “We’ll have to stick someone on their tails while they’re around, but I honestly think they’ll be useful.  The Lady is related to the Prime Minister and the Republic Senator for the sector.  The Lieutenant’s a rising star in their forces.  If nothing else, we keep them safe and happy, and they’ll report such back to their superiors and family, and we keep an ally.”

“Playing politics, sir?”  Zip ventured to ask.

“In a manner of speaking,” Kara agreed, “but I had a feeling about them.”

“Is that a Jedi feeling, or just a gut feeling?”  Zip ventured after a moment.

“Jedi,” Kara said after a moment, amused.  “Although I’m Ilandrian, our gut instincts pretty good on its own, even without the Force.  But you don’t have to worry, I prefer to listen to the Force.”  She glanced over her shoulder, “None of them are going to warm up to me after that little trick.”  She sighed, “But it’s better to have obedience in this matter. I’m not running the 429th for long.”

“You didn’t have to do that for me, sir,” Zip said, “they would have settled down.”

Kara shook her head, “We’re on a time limit, Zip.  I have to play politics with the locals, I can’t afford to play politics here as well.”  She turned back, “Let’s get back in there.  I’m mostly frozen.”

“Well, you did forget your cloak,” Zip offered.


	3. Search Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara and her people search the last known location of Jaran Val.

Rusty was sure there were colder places in the galaxy.  There was a murmur of flash training, throwing out relative temperatures to prove that.  None of it compared to feeling the chill on Aurin as they arrived at the coordinates for General Val’s disappearance.  It was a place of hills and pine trees that made visibility horrible, and the lowland area where they stood was surrounded by hills tall enough to make their radios sporadic.  The site itself was clear of trees, although there were some shattered stumps that showed that something had happened to clear the area, but there was enough space to land the shuttle without having to do anymore landscaping.

“That’s why he didn’t radio back,” General Saje murmured as the radio failure was confirmed.  “That should have been mentioned at some point.”

The General was wrapped in the cloak she’d brought with her, but the hood was pushed back, allowing the wind to ruffle her short hair.  She looked thoughtful for a moment, and then turned towards them.

“I know it’s cold,” General Saje said, “hopefully we won’t be out here that long.  Swoop, do what you can to keep it warm in the cockpit at least.  I want you capable of flying us out if we get surprised.”

“Yes sir,” Swoop said from the shuttle ramp with a salute.  He retreated back into the shuttle and Rusty tried not to feel jealous.

“Sergeant Blaze, Sergeant Speedy, and Lieutenant Creeper,” General Saje continued, and the three stepped forward.

Creeper was the Lieutenant of the 429th squad, and Rusty wondered if he’d been named such because of his attitude, or if his attitude was because of his name.  This particular brother had a tattoo that covered most of his face.  The left side was a blood red and blue diamond pattern that ran from his hairline down the bottom of his nose and stretched back to his earlobe.  The right side was blood red with a blue slash over his eye, which covered the same area.  The blue was just light enough you could tell it was blue, but in the shadows it looked black.  He’d also copied that pattern onto the pauldrons of his armor, with the red on blue diamonds to the left and the blue on red on the right.

“Starting in a half hour, I want everyone to be rotated into the cockpit with Swoop for ten minutes.  If we’re out here more than four hours, then I want the foul weather tent set up with the warmers going inside for a similar schedule.  Send three men up to the top of one of those hills to try for consistent radio contact with base, but I don’t want them to lose sight of the shuttle.  Deploy the men in scout patterns around the shuttle, moving patrols.  Nobody should stand still for long.”  General Saje said.

“What will you be doing sir?”  Sergeant Blaze asked.

“I’m going to take that collapsible bench out of the shuttle and see what the Force has to tell me.”  The General replied.  “I’ll need to focus, so I’m counting on your squads to give a fair warning for trouble.”

“Are you expecting any, sir?”  Creeper asked softly.

“At the moment, no,” The General said, “I don’t expect anyone to act until we get back, regardless of whether I find something or not.  After all, I could lie about it.  It’s simply a precaution because two days ago, General Val vanished from here, supposedly in the custody of General Grievous.”

“Supposedly,” Creeper said.

“The scouts never saw Grievous during the ambush,” General Saje said, “although there were multiple reports of him on the battle field, no one seems to have a confirm for the ambush.  According to previous reports on Grievous, he’s the sort who would have left the bodies as a statement.  Unless or until we can confirm Grievous was present and involved, we have to be open to other suspects.  This is an investigation into who captured Val, and the thing I’ve noticed is how quickly people are blaming someone who isn’t around to confirm or deny.  Maybe I’ve been on too many Judicial investigations, but that seems suspicious to me.  Now get with the sergeants and get those schedules done.  I’d like to be out of here before dark.”

General Saje turned away from Creeper and looked right at Rusty, “Rusty, come help me.”  She said.

“Yes sir,” Rusty said and hurried after her to the shuttle, slinging his rifle over his shoulder.

In the shuttle was a square wooden bench that Rusty had noticed when they’d left the base.  It had a thin cushion on the top and a thick base and was heavier than Rusty expected.

“I got this from the military,” the General said as they unstrapped it.  “It has a heating element in it so I don’t have to worry about getting too cold while I’m working.”

“Handy,” Rusty said as they lifted it up.

“Thanks for helping,” General Saje said as they walked off the shuttle.  “I needed to do something physical and moving this definitely qualifies.”

It took them a few tries to get the bench where the General wanted it, but when it was done, she brushed her hands and gave Rusty a quick little smile that he’d noticed was her trademark.  It wasn’t big, or showed teeth, and it didn’t linger, but there was something about that smile that was more open and honest than some of the smiles Rusty had seen.  Maybe it was because she always met your eyes when she smiled like that, Rusty wasn’t sure, but he trusted that smile.

“Anything else, sir?”  Rusty asked.

“No,” the General said with a short headshake.  “But thank you.”

“Always a pleasure sir,” Rusty said.

General Saje knelt by the bench for a moment, and then reached over her shoulder, as if reaching for something.  “Kriff,” she muttered, “left my pack in the shuttle.”  She gave him another quick smile, then headed back to the shuttle.

And that was the second thing Rusty liked about his general.  She made mistakes and forgot things, and was free with admitting both.  It made her less of an untouchable figure, although there was something in the way she moved and interacted with them that made it clear that she had physical boundaries and walls that deserved respect.

“Rusty,” Blaze called.

“Sir,” Rusty turned towards his sergeant.

“Take Crash and Bang, and start a patrol loop,” Blaze said as he approached.  “You’ll go up that hill, far enough in to see the other side, and then back down.  Don’t go down the backside of the hill, and pay attention to the commlinks.  Bang will be carrying a commlink set to a different frequency, which we’ll broadcast sound over to see what the signal strength is as you go.”

“Understood,” Rusty said with a quick salute before the Sergeant was off, calling after Chip and Mash.

The General came back out of the shuttle with a datapad in her hands.  Rusty paused to watch as she settled onto the bench, somehow managing her cloak so that she didn’t sit on it, as well as wrapping it around her so that only her face was uncovered.  He wondered if that was a Force trick, or if she’d practiced it, and if she’d practiced it, how long it had taken her.

Rusty shook his head slightly and unslung his rifle, looking around for Crash and Bang.  The partners were standing together beside one pines, having what looked like an argument.  When he got closer, Rusty realized they were discussing the General.

“She’s going to freeze,” Bang said, “it’s too cold to just sit like that.”

“The General knows what she’s doing,” Crash insisted.

“She should have just used the shuttle,” Bang said, “why else would she have brought it?”

“Gentlemen,” Rusty said, making them both jolt slightly, “let’s get moving.”  He stepped past them and their tree and into the forest.

They made their way up the hill at an angle and in silence until they came to a spot near the top where there was a ledge of sorts that allowed them a clear view beyond the hill.  Crash stepped forward, lowering his visor to scan the area.

“Hey Rusty,” Bang said, “aren’t you worried the General’s going to get too cold?”

“Nope,” Rusty said as he turned to watch the forest.

“But that bench isn’t but some wood slapped together,” Bang protested.

“It’s heated,” Rusty replied dryly.  “She borrowed it from the Aurins.”

“Oh,” Bang said.  “Wish she’d said that.”

“Maybe she didn’t feel she needed to,” Crash said, “because most people would ensure they didn’t freeze their ass off when it’s this cold.”

“Crash, she punched a droid,” Bang said, “and she tried to make us leave her behind.  I’m not sure the General’s as sensible as you want her to be.”

“I think it’s more risk assessment,” Rusty offered.  “Although she said it was instinct to punch the droid because she’d been grabbed like that before and had training for it.  The problem was she trained for organics, not clankers.  But still, risk assessment.”

“How do you figure,” Crash asked as he raised his visor, “nothing moving over here, but I thought I picked up some odd signals on that hill there.”

“We’ll report that when we get back,” Rusty said, “remember, we’re not supposed to go any further.”

“It wouldn’t take that long,” Bang said.

“What if it’s that General that’s got our General worked up?”  Rusty retorted.  “Let’s just get back, okay?  Besides, aren’t we testing signal strength for the Sergeant?”

“All right,” Crash said reluctantly.  “But explain about risk assessment.”

“Sure,” Rusty said as they started across the top of the hill to take a different route back down, “I think the General’s the sort who will pick the option in a situation that has the highest chance of success, and minimal risk.  From what I’ve seen, she knows what she can do, and she trusts that we can do what we say we can do.  But she’s not stupid about it either.  She wears armor, doesn’t she?”

“No _buy’ce,_ ” Bang said, then yelped as he tripped over something under the snow.

“You okay?”  Crash asked.

“Just a stick,” Bang said as he turned and gave a light kick to the snow-covered object.

They all stopped.

“That wasn’t wood,” Rusty said softly.

“No,” agreed Boost.  He reached out with his foot and nudged at whatever it was.  Finally, he managed to knock the snow off.

It was the cuisse to a clone’s armor, or thigh plate.  Boost bent over and gave a little tug and pulled it out of the snow.  The white wasn’t pristine, clearly it had been worn in a few battles, but it had the symbol of the Jedi Order painted in a light blue.

“No body,” Crash said.

“Start looking for more pieces,” Rusty ordered, “I’m going to radio back to camp.”

“Right,” Bang said, and carefully set the cuisse against a nearby tree.

Rusty tapped his helmet to activate the comm but only got static.  He moved away from the others. 

“Base, this is CT-1585, do you copy?”

More static.  Rusty moved again, he could still hear Bang and Crash speaking, but he couldn’t see them.

“Base, this is CT-1585, do you copy?”

“CT-1585, this is CT-798, Rusty, what’s your status?”

“Chip,” Rusty said, trying not to sigh.  “We’ve found some trooper armor up here. Cuisse, with the symbol of the Jedi Order in a light blue.”

There was a pause, “You found armor up there?”  Sergeant Blaze finally said.

“Yes Sergeant,” Rusty said.

“Found a pauldron,” Crash announced, “got that crescent and triangle thing the 429th uses.”

“Bang tripped over a cuisse, and Crash just found a pauldron,” Rusty said.

“Trooper, what markings are on that armor?”  Lieutenant Creeper asked suddenly.

“Jedi symbol on the cuisse, and the crescent and triangle on the pauldron sir,” Rusty reported.

“ _Osik,”_ Creeper muttered, “if you find the _buy’ce_ and it has triangles under the eyes, that’s the General’s armor.  You didn’t find a body?”

“No sir,” Rusty said.

Things were silent for a long moment, then the radio clicked.

“Rusty, tell Crash and Bang to stop looking immediately,” General Saje ordered.  “Get in one place and let me know when that’s done.”

“Yes sir,” Rusty said.  He yanked his helmet off, “Crash, Bang, stop and get over here now.  General’s orders.”

There was silence for a moment, then the pair started over.  Rusty flipped the comm on his helmet so that they could all hear it as the other two pulled their helmets off.

“All right sir, we’ve stopped,” Rusty said.

“Thank you,” the General said.  “I’m sending Lieutenant Creeper up there with some men to take over the site.  I need images and a knowledge of where you found everything and what you were doing for later review.  That is now a crime scene and we need all the information we can get from it.”

“Understood sir,” Rusty said.

“Sir, we kicked the snow around a bit,” Crash said, sounding guilty.

“I know, it’s okay,” General Saje said, “I should have gone over procedure for if you found anything, but the Captains said they’d gone over the area.  Next time, I’ll make them show me on a map where they looked.”  She sighed, “Okay, when the Lieutenant gets up there, you three come down here and get with Swoop to make a report of what happened.  Was there anything else strange up there?”

“I picked up some weird energy reading when I was scanning the other side of the hill,” Crash said, “but we didn’t investigate that.”

“We’ll add that to the list,” General Saje said.  “Once you’ve logged your report, check with your sergeants for new orders.”

“Yes sir,” Rusty said along with Crash and Bang.  There was a click and the radio was silent.

Rusty slipped his helmet on, “How mad do you think our brothers are going to be?  We probably just managed to double the time we’re spending out here.”

“The 429th will probably be relieved,” Crash said, “those pieces were worn, but they weren’t damaged, you know?”

“No blood,” Bang pointed out.

“Yeah, but it’s cold out,” Rusty said, “someone’s going to be complaining about it.”

“Milo.”

Rusty considered it and nodded, “Milo, and probably Mash.  Not Chip though.”

“Chip won’t complain if he’s got a compound fracture,” Crash said, “I know.  Although he gets cold easy enough, this might be the exception.”

“No,” Rusty said, “I don’t think so.”

They fell silent, listening to the woods around them until they heard the sound of someone approaching.  As one, they stepped behind some of the trees and lifted their rifles, waiting.  The sounds stopped after a moment.

“They must be around here somewhere,” someone said.

“You sure about that, LT?”

“I can see where they were standing.”

Rusty looked at Bang, who nodded, then at Crash, who shrugged.

“We’re here,” Rusty said, stepping around his tree.  “We just weren’t sure if you were who you said you were sir.”

“Where’s the armor?”  Creeper demanded.

“Over there, sir,” Crash pointed.

“There’s no comm signal over there,” Rusty added.

“All right,” Creeper said, “thank you, for finding it.  Something’s better than nothing.”

“You’re welcome sir,” Rusty said.

“Get down to the camp and get warm,” Creeper said, “we’ll take it from here.”

They saluted, “Sir, yes sir.”

 


	4. Around The Base

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New evidence arrives on base, but not everything is what it should be...

When the General came back from visiting the ambush site, Kodah hung back as Zakiyah approached her.  Zakiyah was, despite her claims otherwise, a typical upper echelon daughter, spoiled, overconfident, and far too accustomed to being in charge.  Kodah could have told her that that was an attitude that wouldn’t get her far with a Jedi, or the military unit they were working with. 

“Master Jedi, I must protest,” Zakiyah said, “I was placed here to assist you in your investigation.  I can’t do that if I am not permitted to accompany you.  I have intelligence you might require.”

The General crossed her arms and stared until Zakiyah fell silent.  “I know exactly why you were assigned here,” the General said finally.  “The only intelligence you have is the intelligence you intend to pass on to your superiors.  You are a burden, not a help.  I only agreed to your presence because I couldn’t say no and everyone in that office knew it.  The only thing I want from you is your silence.  Try to speak to me like that again, and I will find something for you to do.  It won’t be something you’ll enjoy.”

Kodah shook his head slightly and stepped back into the command building before allowing himself a quick smile.

“Something funny happen?”

Kodah jerked slightly, having forgotten that he had a clone shadow.  “I think it’s natural, enjoying seeing a stuck-up brat get put in her place by someone who doesn’t care.”  He tilted his head slightly, “Of course, I imagine the General thinks of me the same way.”

“Are you not?”

Kodah shook his head slightly, “Look, uh, I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name.”

“Ian.”

“Right, Ian,” Kodah nodded, “My parents gave me to the military academy when I was eight, so that I would have a better life instead of just being another hungry mouth on a farm.  I’ve literally got a dozen siblings.  I didn’t get a choice about going into the military, and it’s the only thing I know.  They don’t teach many marketable skills in the military.  They say when you turn sixteen, you can leave, and they’ll pay for your education.  What they don’t tell you is that they don’t provide a living expense to go with that education fund.  So you either go back home, if your parents can afford to take on another mouth that won’t be working, or you work some subsistence job that eats up all your time and you can’t take time off to go to class because you’re paid hourly.  So I stayed military, because that’s what I know.  I’m a lieutenant at twenty, which isn’t rare except in that I’m not from a military family.  I’ll fight and die for my planet, because that’s what we’re trained to do, but I never received orders to spy on the GAR, and I won’t do it voluntarily.  Anyone who thinks I did has clearly never learned the basic rule of military life.”

“Never volunteer,” Ian said solemnly.

“Zakiyah, for the record, is the daughter of a wealthy politician.  She probably would spy on the GAR willingly.  She likes to say she’s not like her peers, but thwart her and you’ll find out otherwise.”

“Sounds like she could stand to be taken down a peg or three,” Ian observed.

“I’m just waiting for her to get that Senate internship,” Kodah said, “soon as she pops off to another Senator and causes an incident, she’ll be bounced home so fast.”  He sighed, content with the mental image of Zakiyah being sent home as a disgrace.

“You sound like you know her,” Ian said finally.

“Last year, she got on the wrong side of a local labor protest, and I was part of the group assigned to ‘protect’ her,” Kodah replied.  “Because we’re the same age, I had to pretend to be her partner.  I’ve got chapter and verse on Zakiyah of House Zeseair.”

The door slammed open, just missing Kodah, and the General stalked in, shoving her hood back as she did. 

“Lieutenant Kodah.”

Kodah saluted, “Yes sir?”

The General held out her hand, in it was a large silver ring covered with symbols.

“Do you recognize this?”

Kodah swallowed, “I think I do,” he reached for it, “May I?”

“You may.”

Kodah took the ring and studied it.  “It’s an academy ring,” he said, mentally translating each of the symbols, hesitating over one of them.  “They were in my class at the academy, sir.  Pilot training though, not ground.”  He considered the rest of the symbols.  They all meant something, told the story of a promoted cadet.  He checked the inside of the ring and frowned, “This ring belongs to Junad.  He’s one of the defense pilots.  He’s a sponsor, so whatever he’s involved in, it would be on the say-so of his sponsor.”

“How do you figure?”  The General asked, accepting the ring back and making it vanish.

“Junad is like me, a cadet from a non-military family.  Except he petitioned for the academy when he was ten, instead of at eight.  His family tried to object, but letting Junad go to the academy was a compromise.  Kids like that, who come in at ten, with no military background, they’re considered at a disadvantage early on.  Most of us go at eight, given up by our family.  Junad should have been a cadet for four years, although he was eligible at twelve for promotion just like the rest of us.  Sponsors, they’re cadets who get promoted because someone’s taken an interest in them.  Sometimes, it’s because they’re just that good, and sometimes it’s because someone wants a puppet to do their bidding.  They try to catch the ones who do that, but not all of them.”

“Junad is one of them,” the General said.

“Oh yeah,” Kodah nodded, “we all knew he wasn’t ready for it.  Except that he’s a natural pilot, which was the given reason; better advanced training.  Junad will be loyal to his sponsor, or he won’t get to fly.”

“Do you have a sponsor?”  The General asked.

Kodah laughed, “They tried, General, sir.  Twice, they tried.  I’m career military because I have to be.  I’ve literally got nowhere else to go if I want to make something of myself.  I’ve got enough hooks in my soul, some idiot of a captain isn’t getting to put any more in me.”

The General stared at him, her eyes dark and thoughtful.  It almost looked as if she was listening to something no one else could hear.  Then she blinked and nodded, “All right Lieutenant.  Thank you for your assistance.”  Then she turned, “Trooper Ian, you were waiting for me?”

“Captain Zip and Lieutenant Screech said you needed a slicer,” Ian said with a quick salute.

The General nodded again, “Very well, Lieutenant Kodah, work with Ian here, get me everything you can about this Junad and his sponsor. Financials, communications, the works.  I want to know everything.”

Kodah saluted, “Yes sir.”

“And keep Zakiyah out of the loop for now,” The General added.  “I have a special task for her.”

/././.\\.\\.\

Zip watched as Lady Zakiyah stared after the General for a long moment before heading towards a secluded space.  Checking that General Kara had a couple of Knight Squad men with her, he diverted his path to follow the Lady.  He wasn’t sure what it was about the girl, but he wasn’t sure he trusted her.  When she found a corner out of the wind and unobserved, he knew he was right.  He leaned against the building that formed part of her corner, the mess building, and listened in.

“Lord-Senator, this is Zakiyah.”

“Zeseair.”  Even a voice rendered off by a comm link didn’t sound that cold without intent, Zip thought with a slight shudder.

“Saje vanished for several hours today without myself or the Lieutenant.  When I inquired as to her day afterwards, she became defensive and seemed angry, as if whatever she was doing failed to provide any assistance.”

“Zeseair, you are there to keep an eye on the Jedi, being left behind is not acceptable.”

“Unless I tried to stow away, I can’t promise to be involved in all of Saje’s investigation.  I’m lucky she didn’t just ban me from command.  I’m doing what I can.”

“Do more.  Unless you don’t want that promotion.”

“I understand.  I’ll contact you when I know something.”

“You had better.”

Zip stepped back, opening the door to the mess hall and letting it slam shut.  Then he walked forward, passing the Lady without looking at her.  He angled his pace for the command building, trying to act as if he didn’t feel a giant target on his back as he walked away from her.  The girl was a rat, and he had to pass that on to the General quickly.

Zip entered Command, he found Kara in her commandeered conference room staring at a silver ring that was floating in the air before her.

“Sir,” Zip said with a salute, trying to hide his unease at such a casual use of the Force.  Other than her drawn visions, Zip had never seen Kara casually use the Force liked that.

“Captain,” Kara said, not looking at him, “close the door please.”

Zip pushed the door closed, “General, about the Lady Zakiyah.”

“She’s reporting to someone,” Kara said softly.

“Yes, I heard,” Zip began.

Kara looked at him and Zip fell silent, compelled by something in that gaze.  The ring floated down into a black box that was then floated into Kara’s pack.

“The thing about politics is that what you see is rarely the whole story,” Kara said, “Zakiyah has to report in to someone because they are holding something over her that she wants.  A promotion, a hostage to fortune, something.  I am aware of this, and now, she knows I know.  What happens next will be the real test.  If Zakiyah is recalled, then she told her superiors, and they declared that she had no further use in this capacity.  If she stays, then either they will try to give us false information through her, or she is trying to pass false information back to them.”

Zip thought back to the comm call, and the confrontation he’d seen.

“What if someone else is telling stories?”  Zip asked finally, “What about the Lieutenant?”

“Kodah?”  Kara asked, surprised.  “Kodah is a different story all together.  I scanned him deeply when I came into command this afternoon.  Kodah is honest.  I wouldn’t trust him with all our greatest secrets, but whatever comes, it won’t be of his free will.  If anything, I quite think I might write him a recommendation for the judicial academy when this is over.  He deserves a shot to get off this planet.”

Zip wondered what Kara had seen to make that offer.  He’d been spending time with one of the _Retrieval’s_ mechanics, a Lieutenant named Ardya, and she’d told him that a Jedi recommendation to Judicial carried more weight than even the Supreme Chancellor.

“Is there anything I can do that would actually help?”  Zip asked quietly.

“Depends, is Captain Tor back from his scouting mission?”  Kara asked.

“No sir,” Zip said, “I’ve been told it’s expected to be an extended tour of the southern continent.”

Kara nodded slightly.  Then she picked up a datapad and an envelope.  “Zip, I want you to hang on to this,” she held out the envelope.

“Sir?”  Zip asked as he took it.

“You can only open it when we find General Val,” Kara said, “it’s sealed, and it’s kind of important.”

Zip nodded, “I’ll keep it safe.”

“Thank you,” Kara said, then held out the datapad, “Now, tell me what you think of those.”

Zip took the datapad and studied the screen.  It was a drawing of a room.  In the center of the room was a black man wearing a pair of black pants.  He was kneeling down, with his head bowed and his hands chained to either side of his knees.  Long, black hair fell about his face in thick strands, like ropes or braids almost.  On his left arm was a blue tattoo that Zip couldn’t make out.  Behind the man was a grey wall with a small, high window that appeared to have something covering it on the outside.  There was a crack in the wall that ran from the window down behind the man.  There was a wooden post half out of the image that looked as if it was half rotted.

Noticing a counter at the top corner saying that this was one of several images, Zip tapped the screen to move onto another image.  This one showed worn out stairs that looked to be in danger of falling.  The third showed the man from behind, with several of the thick strands trailing down his back, and a view of the stairs as well.

The next picture was of two girls, backs pressed to what looked like the grey walls of a ship.  The girl in the back looked terrified, with green skin and tattoos on her face.  She had a black head scarf and dress as well.  The lead girl wasn’t human, she had orange skin and blue and white head-tails unlike what he’d seen before.  She had an unlit lightsaber in her hand.  Before them, half out of the picture, was a clone with a raised blaster.

“Sir?”  Zip said, alarmed.

“What? Kriff,” General Kara stood up and reached over to pull the data pad back, “You weren’t supposed to see that.”

“But sir, that’s one of us!”

“Not 425th,” General Kara replied, “I’m not sure which battalion otherwise.  It’s the future, I know that.  While there is a Mirialan who recently took a Mirialan youngling for her Padawan, I know for a fact that the only Togruta youngling we currently have is still a youngling.”  She tapped the edge of the datapad, “And the trooper here, it’s not his fault.  There’s something in his brain, something organic and separate.  I don’t know where it came from, although I have a distinct feeling I’ve been there before.  I passed this on to Master Windu, and I warned General Luminara, the Mirialan, that I’d seen her Padawan in danger.  At this moment, that’s about all I can do until I find out who will take the Togruta as a Padawan.”

“Are you sure, sir?”  Zip asked softly.

“Very sure,” General Kara said.  “There’s very little I can do sometimes, Zip, especially if I don’t know when the vision will come true.”  She held up the datapad, back on the picture of the man.  “Now, this is General Jaran Val.  I drew six different angles of this image at the battle site today, and I’ve done three more since I got back.  What does it look like to you?”

“Basement,” Zip replied.

“Yeah, Creeper told me that basically every building on Aurin has at least one subbasement for some reason.  So we have something, but it’s not much of something.”

“We’ve been here two days,” Zip pointed out, “we know he’s alive, and that he’s still on Aurin, that has to mean something, General.”

“You’re right,” General Kara said, laying the datapad down flat.  “We’ve accomplished something.”  She sighed as she tapped her fingers for a moment.  Then she focused on Zip, “Send me Lieutenant Screech and Lieutenant Swoop.  I need to speak with them.  Also, make sure everyone knows that winter gear is not gambling stakes, and anyone caught using them as stakes will start with cleaning the gun ships with a small brush.  Anyone caught accepting them will start with tiny brushes in the mess hall.”

“Understood sir,” Zip said with a salute.  He stepped back out of the General’s conference room and went to track down his lieutenants.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonus points if you get what Kara drew/saw. I figure, if she's a seer, she'd see things we already know will happen. (I'm pretty sure she has a sketch tucked away of Wolffe and Bexar's reunion, even if she doesn't know who they are.)


	5. Something Has Changed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara thinks of an avenue of investigation and then everything changes.

The capitol of Aurin was a filthy metropolis filled with people too dulled down by grey buildings and random piles of grey snow to care.  Kara hated it, and she used her cloak to keep herself from having to see their dull expressions.  She was sure to Rusty and Chip, following her down the sidewalk, the place looked different, but Kara was too aware of the exhausted empathic resonance to the city to look for the color.

She’d been here for two weeks and she was getting nowhere.

Oh, there were things Kara was pretty sure of, but the catch was that she had to prove it to these people or their faith in the Republic would be shattered.  So that found her heading for the portside bars to locate someone who was a very long way from home.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?”  Chip asked as they turned onto the road with the bars.

“No,” Kara said, “but I need to do something.”

“I don’t know why you wanted to come yourself,” Chip muttered.

“Because anything else could ruin what I’m trying to do,” Kara replied as she stopped in front of a bar with a sign that read Winkey’s.  At least, Kara thought it said Winkey’s.  She hesitated a moment, then reached for the door, the familiar signature she’d been tracing a bacon in front of her.

The door opened before her hand could touch it and Kara stepped back, surprised.  A Weequay in a heavy coat stepped out of the bar, glanced up at her, turned away, then turned back.

“Is that little Kara?”

Kara summoned up a smile, “Hondo Ohnaka.  You’re a long way from home.”

“You know how business is,” Hondo waved his hand, “sometimes you get along better by overseeing things in person.”

“So what’s today’s business,” Kara asked.

“Aurin makes some of the best Ice Wine in the system,” Hondo said, “I was hoping to meet a contact who would get me a contract.”

“No luck?”  Kara asked.

“He never showed,” Hondo replied. “I will have to go back to Florrum empty handed.”

“Maybe not,” Kara said, “I need some help, and I might know someone who knows someone.”

“All the best business deals are conducted by knowing someone, let’s go in here and talk,” Hondo gestured to Winkey’s.

“How about you come with me,” Kara said, “the drinks will be better, and no one will eaves drop.”

“Sir,” Chip began.

“Stand down,” Kara said, “Hondo and I go way back.  He’s my master’s cousin.”

“Speaking of, I heard about Honso,” Hondo said, suddenly looking serious.  “I know what he meant to you.”

Kara couldn’t smile but she nodded, “And I offer my sorrows for your loss as well.  May the shadowed path find its way into the light once more.”

“You Ilandrians,” Hondo shook his head, “always something to say.  Now, you promised me a drink.”

“Indeed, I did,” Kara said.

Despite Rusty and Chip’s clear disapproval, Kara took Hondo back to base, settling them in her conference room.

“Now, how can I help you?”  Hondo asked once Kara had produced a bottle of wine.  Lady Zakiyah’s father had presented it to her, some sign of gratitude that Zakiyah was her liaison.

“I need to know who on planet would risk transporting a captive Jedi,” Kara said.  “I’d prefer to know for the past three weeks, but I’ll settle for right now.”

“That is not information I can pull out of thin air,” Hondo protested.

“Of course not,” Kara said, “which is why I’m going to make it worth your while.”

“How do you figure?”  Hondo asked after trying the wine.

“This wine is Honey Ice, from the Zeseair winery,” Kara said.  “The Heir of House Zeseair is one of my liaison to the government right now.  She has authority to begin talks with a merchant about a contract.”

Hondo sipped the wine again, clearly thinking it over.  Honey Ice Wine was one of the most expensive wines made on Aurin, the sort of thing the Chancellor would serve at a private dinner.  It opened doors that were normally sealed shut.

“I would speak to the Heir,” Hondo said, “and see what I can find.”

“Thank you,” Kara said.  “I’ll be back shortly.”  She rose and headed out of the conference room.  Once the door was shut, she turned to Crash and Bang, who were standing guard.  “He doesn’t get to wander.  Nobody goes in.  I’ll be back soon.”

Zakiyah was in the actual command chamber, watching from a stool to one side as Zip and Jaws discussed patrol rotations.

“Zakiyah,” Kara said, “front and center.”

“Lady Kara?”  Zakiyah asked, startled as she stood up and walked over.

“You said you could help,” Kara said, “here’s your chance.  There’s a Weequay sitting in the conference room I need you to speak with.  He’s an informant, his price, at the moment, is a chance to talk to you or your family’s man of business about a contract for spirits.  I don’t care if you make the deal or defer, I need him willing to get me the information I need.  I’d appreciate it if he did get a contract of some sort, he’s practically family, but I’m not going to force it.”

“Practically family?”  Zakiyah asked.

“He’s a scoundrel who thinks in terms of how things will profit and benefit him above everything, and there’s that kidnapping thing, but his cousin was my Jedi Master, so family.  Like I said, I need what he knows and can find out, and his price was to talk to you with an eye towards a merchant contract.  Are you willing to help?”

Zakiyah considered for a moment, then nodded, “I will.  In the conference room, you said?”

“That’s right,” Kara said, “I won’t tell you Hondo Ohnaka is harmless, but he’s friendly and charming after a fashion, and he might try robbing you blind, but that just means he likes you.”

“Right,” Zakiyah said, “I’ll be back soon.”

Kara followed to signal Crash and Bang to let her in, then turned to find Zip watching her from inside the command center.  Kara wandered over, casting an eye on the patrol list to hid how aware she was of her captain.

“Kidnapping thing?”  Zip finally said.

“It was a learning experience,” Kara replied, “a favor to Master Honso.”

“You brought a former kidnapper onto our base, and we’re not arresting him why?”  Zip said.

“Because he’s not going to pull his tricks here,” Kara said, “he’s outside his home territory.  Also, I need the information he has.”  She turned away, “But that doesn’t mean we trust him.  Keep people on him, make sure they aren’t going to fall for his friend-of-the-universe routine.”

“So, maybe not you?”  Zip asked slowly.

Kara snorted, “The biggest influence in my life was his cousin.  Believe me, I know the difference between Hondo’s act and the real thing.”

The Force moved, something shifted.  Doors unlocked and windows closed.  Opportunity rose and someone laughed gleefully.  A fading star vanished abruptly.  The path that was no longer existed, something different was coming.

“General!”  Zip said, he was half holding her up.

“What happened?”  Kara asked.

“You collapsed,” Zip said.

Kara blinked, and shook her head slightly as she steadied herself, reaching for the Force for reassurance. “Something happened in the Force.  Something changed.”

“I’ll say it did,” Jaws said, turning from the comm station “Somebody just assassinated Prime Minister Okoro.”

“Oh kriffing hell,” Kara said as she moved to join him.  “Why would someone do that?  He’s going to be out by the end of the year.”

“What?”  Zip asked.

“Term limits, the Prime Minister was at the end of his legal term.  They were supposed to announce the candidates today for the election,” Kara said.  She looked over what was being shown on the local news networks, studying the people on the platform.  She crossed her arms as she stared at the people.  “I think our unsub just made his first mistake.”

“Unsub sir?”  Jaws asked hesitantly.

“Unknown subject,” Kara replied.  She reached out to replay the shooting again, her attention most definitely caught.

Finally she turned, “All right, things are about to get difficult.  Okoro was, among other things, a diehard loyalist.  The Caucus is going to appoint an interim PM until they can hold elections.  Thing is, the in the midterm elections last year, his party lost their majority.  Although the margins are slim, it’s likely that we’re going to be seeing obstruction to our presence and our search.  Depending on how radical the PM is, we might even see people bold enough to make a move against us.  I’m not talking grenades and blaster fire, but discrimination against clones might come on the rise.  Captain Jaws, pass on to your people to keep close to base unless on assignment until we see which way the wind blows.  Captain Zip, I want to double down protection on the evidence.  In fact, ship all of it up to the _Retrieval._ ”

“On it, sir,” Zip said and headed off.

Kara turned and headed for the conference room, she needed that information yesterday.  She knocked on the door firmly as a warning then opened it. 

“We have a problem.”

“What’s wrong?”  Zakiyah asked, standing up.

Kara shook her head, “You might want to sit down, okay?”  Zakiyah sank into her chair, clearly dreading what Kara was about to say.  “Someone just assassinated Prime Minister Okoro.”  She turned to Hondo, “If you’re going to help, I need that information yesterday.”

“I’ll send you the information for my father’s manager,” Zakiyah said, “you’ll get a contract.”

“I am on my way,” Hondo said.

“Crash and Bang will bring you back to the city,” Kara told him.

“I need to go,” Zakiyah began.

Kara nodded, “Go, do what you have to do, Zakiyah, and take Ian with you.”

“My lady,” Zakiyah rose and gave a quick curtsey before vanishing outside.

Kara rubbed her hands together, this was one of the more interesting ways she’d seen a case break open, but it was going to help.  How people reacted to this, who changed their tune, was going to tell her a hell of a lot.  Especially the people who used the mourning of the people to grab for power.

/././.\\.\\.\

At this point, the chains and the floor had nothing new to tell him.  That had been the difficulty at first, fighting to clear his mind of the assault by the residue of the room itself.  The drugs hadn’t bothered him, while most drugs acted on Kiffar like they did humans, there were certain sedatives that made him dizzy instead of complacent.  With his control reasserted over the visions, he was well able to filter out the drugs.

Which still left him chained to the floor of an inadequately lit basement in an abandoned building.

Jaran Val was a patient man.  He could wait.  He knew help was on the planet, the Force had assured him of that much.  Between his own actions and what his rescuer was doing, he knew he wouldn’t be held here for much longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a bit shorter than normal, but it didn't want to stretch At All. Amusing fact, when I was working out things that needed to happen in the story, I knew that something had to happen here, but I wasn't sure what, so I simple added "And Everything Changed When The Fire Nation Attacked" so I could move into the next part, figuring that a good idea would come up at some point.


	6. Party Manners

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara and Zip attend a party.

Kara stared at herself in the mirror.  Her usual spikes were smoothed down, although she figured as the last of the dampness dried out that would change.  She didn’t wear makeup, so that wasn’t necessary, and her Jedi uniform was scrupulously cleaned.  She wasn’t wearing any accessories or accoutrements except for her lightsaber.  She looked like a sober Jedi Knight, a Peacekeeper.  It was a carefully cultivated look for tonight’s show.  A ceremony for the welcome of the interim Prime Minister, where she was expected to attend as a Jedi Knight.  Kara picked up her cloak and swung it over her shoulder, pulling the hood up. 

When she stepped outside her quarters, she found Zip, Rusty, and Mash waiting for her.  Zip looked uncomfortable in his dress uniform while Rusty and Mash were in their armor.

“Sir,” Zip said.

Kara smiled, “Thank you for coming with me, Zip.”

“I’m not sure why,” Zip said as they headed for the speeder that would take them into the capitol.

“It’s because we have to present a certain appearance at this show.  Besides, I want someone covering my back in there.”  Kara replied.

“Is this going to be dangerous?”  Zip asked.

“It could be,” Kara replied, “Past experience suggests that it is possible to die from boredom at these things.”

Zip didn’t frown at her for that one.

“Look,” Kara said, “it’s going to be fine.  We go in, I chat at a few people, meet the candidates, maybe I let someone spin me around the floor once just because, and then we pitch a drink tray on my robes and run for the exit.”

“Please tell me that’s some badly worded joke,” Zip said after a moment.

“Got the timing down to a science,” Kara replied with a wink.  “I’ll say ‘have a nice trip’ so you’ll know when to run.”

“Sir,” Mash said, “I don’t know if you’re actually joking.”

Kara gave him a quick smile, “Mostly joking, although seriously, if I say, ‘have a nice trip’ then something’s wrong and we need a discreet exit.”

“I’ll remember that,” Mash said.

Kara slid into the driver’s seat, fingers ghosting over the controls.  The speeder started, then spluttered.  Kara hit the ignition button again.  The speeder’s engine whined.  Kara blinked as a trickle of cold warning eased down her spine.

“Get away from the speeder,” she said quietly.

“Sir?”  Zip asked as he stood up.

“Go,” Kara repeated as she surged up.  _Too late._   She flung her hands out, lifting and pushing Zip, Mash, and Rusty towards the building while shoving herself in the other direction.  She landed in a crouch, standing and lifting the speeder into the air as the engine’s whine took on a second, discordant note.  It was just above the top of the building when it exploded.

“Sir, are you okay?”  Zip asked.

“I’m fine,” Kara said, reaching for the Force for comfort.  “That wasn’t engine failure.”

“What?”  Zip said.

“That wasn’t engine failure,” Kara said, “It was a bomb.  The source, it was below the speeder, next to the engine, but not in the engine.  I told you, people don’t want us to find Val, and now it’s getting personal.”  She turned, “Get another speeder ready, and some more brothers to sit on the speeder while I’m glad handing.”

“We could cancel,” Mash offered hesitantly.

“Oh no,” Kara said softly, “I want to see what they don’t want me to see now.”  She contemplated the floating wrecking for a moment before lowering it down.  Crowd was gathering around them, and Kara looked for a familiar presence.  Fallback was standing towards the back, close to the enclosed gym, and he wore the light grey workout clothes they all seemed to favor.

“Fallback,” Kara called, “front and center.”

The men moved back as Fallback hurried forward, “Sir?”

“Soon as you can start without hurting yourself, I want to know what type of explosives were used on this thing.  Anything you can pull out of it would be appreciated.  If you can’t figure something out, get in contact with Captain Sei’lar, he’ll have someone he knows who can help.”

“Yes sir,” Fallback saluted.

“Drag any other demolitions people in that you need here on base,” Kara continued.  “Do not ask anything of the Aurins.  In fact, do not mention that the speeder blew up.  I’ll handle the notification process.”

A second speeder arrived, piloted by Swoop in full armor, with two other troopers riding along.

“Ready to go sir?”  Swoop asked.

“Let’s get this over with,” Kara replied sliding into the back of the speeder.  “I’m not planning to stay all night, so don’t worry about that, and they have indoor parking, which will be warm.”

“That’s good to know,” Swoop said.

Once everyone was in, they headed into the city, slowly merging with the traffic of hundreds streaming towards the capital building.  Kara slid her hands into her cloak sleeves to hide them as she nervously ran her left thumb over her right wrist.  She hated events like this, especially when her instincts were telling her that something important had happened and she shouldn’t be at the party at all.  She firmly told the Force that she couldn’t fix something she didn’t know about, and that the party was important to her current goals.

Not that the Force was listening to her.

The capitol complex was lit up, with speeders sliding into landing platforms to release beautifully dressed men and women.  Kara adjusted her hood as they slid up to the front entrance and allowed Zip to hand her out of the speeder with Rusty and Mash following her.  They would join other security personnel in the security complex.

“Are we ready?”  Kara asked softly before they walked away from the speeder.

“I’m a little rusty,” Rusty said, “but I think I remember how to discretely listen to things.”

“We’ll be fine,” Mash said.

“Just so long as I don’t have to dance,” Zip muttered.

Kara patted his arm, “I promised, didn’t I?”  She bowed slightly to Mash and Rusty, “You’ll peel off at the door.  Remember where to go?”

“We do,” Rusty said.

“Good, let’s do this.”  Kara stepped back and turned, reaching over to rest her hand lightly on Zip’s offered arm.  The path to the door was short, a difference to the cold weather, but stepping through the door as Rusty and Mash headed to the security center was a different as night and day.  A line of holo-reporters stood there, snapping pictures of the attendees, including a few half-hearts snaps of Kara and Zip as they were recognized.  Halfway through the receiving line, they passed a small set up where outer robes and such could be left.  Zip slipped off the calf length jacket that came with his formal uniform, and Kara slid off her robe.

Then they were before the interim Prime Minister, a man named Ewkume, who wore a fitted one-piece outfit in the planetary colors of white, grey, and ice blue that was striking with his dark skin and pale blue eyes.

“Prime Minister Ewkume Hemari,” Kara said, “may the path before you be lit by the hope of the faithful.”

“Knight Saje,” Hemari said.

“This is my Captain, Zip,” Kara added, squeezing lightly at Zip’s arm.

Zip saluted, “Congratulations on your promotion sir.”

Hemari hesitated then bowed his head, “My thanks, Captain.”

“My apologies,” Kara said softly, “It was a familiar frame of reference.”

“Of course, Master Jedi,” Hemari said.

Kara squeezed Zip’s arm lightly and they moved into the party.  Kara scanned the glittering, well dressed crowd.  The party was spread into three different rooms, one held a large dance floor where figures were wheeling about in a traditional Aurin pattern dance while others stood watching.  The second held the buffet and tables for the hunger, as well as access to the well stocked bar.  The third room was a reception room for people to stand around talking while dark clad servers carried drinks and small canapes around.

“We stand out badly,” Zip muttered softly as he claimed a flute of wine from a passing server.

“That’s the idea,” Kara replied.  “There’s one of the candidates.  We must pay our respects.”

“Yes General,” Zip said.

They crossed the room carefully, with Kara smiling gently, like a benevolent observer, while Zip kept his face blank even as Kara knew he was cataloguing everything.

The first of the two candidates was Weseka, an older man with close cut white hair that had a geometric pattern shaved into it.  He wore a rich blue suit cut similar to the few members of the planetary defense force that moved through the room, complete with a medal around his neck.  Kara remembered that Weseka had been in the defense force before a smuggler’s lucky shot had ended his career.  His family had gotten him into politics, and he’d made a name for himself as the working man’s voice.  He was the popular candidate, and Kara almost thought he’d win the election easily. 

“Captain Weseka Amdali,” Kara said as they approached, pausing to give the man a proper bow.  “Even in the darkest nights we know, the sun returns.”

“Knight Saje,” Amdali replied, “please, my rank is not necessary.”

“This is Captain Zip,” Kara said simply.

“Captain,” Zip said shortly.

“Captain,” Amdali said with a chuckle.  “It’s been a while since I’ve been in full uniform.  An unlucky shot, for me at least.  I trust you are finding your time on Aurin to be well spent?”

“Drills are drills,” Zip replied, “easier ship-side, nobody complains about the weather.”

“Ah, but when the battle comes, would they not then be unprepared if they never trained in the weather,” Amdali said.

“I don’t know,” Zip allowed, “we had a trainer back on Kamino who’d probably take that as a challenge, and he’s devious enough to make it happen.”

Kara glanced over and spotted the other candidate.  She pressed her fingers into Zip’s arm to get his attention.  

“There’s the other candidate, I must pay my respects.”  She smiled at the two men, “I’ll leave you to your conversation.  As necessary as the Jedi participation in the war is, I’ve no real mind for military matters.  If you’ll excuse me.”

“General,” Zip said with a salute.

“Knight Saje,” Amdali said, “perhaps later you would favor me with a dance?”

Kara smiled, “Perhaps.”

She stepped away from Zip and weaved her way through the crowd to the second candidate.  Tifawt Banadai was another career politician, her family were in positions all through the Aurin government, and she had the charm and manners of one groomed for position.  Kara found her much like many other politicians she’d ever known.  Banadai was pretty, though, dressed in an orange and yellow gown that looked as if it had been made from shimmering feathers.  Her naturally white hair had been pulled back and braided into a bun save for a thick braid that wrapped around like a crown.  That braid had a series of red and yellow jewels fitted into it.

“Madame Tifawt Banadai,” Kara said with a precise bow, exactly equal to the one she’d given Weseka.

“Knight Saje,” Banadai replied, inclining her head in response.  “Enjoying the party?”

Kara tilted her head slightly, “Into every life, a little rain must fall.”

Banadai laughed softly, “I quite agree, but the potential to meet people.”  She gestured, “I would like to introduce you to someone, if I may.”

Kara managed a small smile, “I would be honored, Madame.”

Banadai gestured over to a woman standing a little apart from the rest of the crowd.  She was young and beautiful in a way that many of the women in the crowd no doubt envied.  She wore her hair in tiny braids that wrapped around and into a ponytail that was fitted with sparkling beads.  Her dress was a simple light grey with minimal adornment, but was elegant in its simplicity and minimized the signs of her pregnancy.

“Knight Saje, this is Nyarai Bani,” Banadai said, “Nyarai, this is Knight Kara Saje.”

“Madame,” Kara said, bowing.  She knew enough of naming conventions to understand why Banadai would introduce her to this woman.  Bani’s family, possibly her husband’s family, was, or had at one time been, a recipient of patronage by the Banadai, and had named themselves to reflect that.  Aurin custom stated that their families would be linked, to provide aid and comfort.  Banadai seemed to be using it both to introduce Bani around, and also to shelter her from meeting the wrong people.

Bani curtseyed, “Knight Saje.”

“My people have a saying,” Kara said softly, “A rose in winter is a generous gift.”

Bani tucked her head down and blushed, one hand rising to toy with the chain around her neck, “Thank you.”

“Nyarai’s husband is a captain in our Defense Forces,” Banadai said.  “He was promoted after the recent actions against the Separatists.”

“My honor to your husband,” Kara said.

“Thank you,” Bani said.  Kara tilted her head slightly, reading the other woman carefully.  Nervous, shy, but oddly determined.  “I work from home, I’m a writer and a mother, but we’re very proud of Ikenna.”

Kara prepared herself for another of the subtle comments she’d pulled together for the event, but her mind went blank.

The necklace Bani was toying with was a simple silver chain with a green pendant.  It was the sort of thing a mid-level officer might be able afford to give his wife as a gift.  There was just one problem.  The pendant, a seemingly innocuous crystal, not unlike the ones sewn into the clothing of people around them, grown by a hundred families on the southern continent for fashion and electronics, was not harmless.

That simple green crystal, sang in the Force with the confidence of its purpose.  That was no simple jewel.  Nyarai Bani was wearing an active Kyber Crystal, the heart of a lightsaber.


	7. The After Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grievous is found, and Kara makes plans.

It was the training of a lifetime that kept Kara from reacting to Bani’s necklace.  She glanced up at Bani, meeting clear seeing green eyes nearly the same shade as the crystal.  Bani nodded slightly, then turned to Banadai, who seemed unaware of the moment of silent communication.

“If you’ll forgive me, I need to go to the ladies’ room,” Bani said.

“Of course,” Banadai said.

Kara considered her options as Bani moved away.  “I should go rescue Amdali, I left my Captain with him.”

“Your captain,” Banadai repeated.

Kara smiled, “He is the commander of my forces, we work closely together. Battle has a way of making brothers of strangers.  If you will excuse me?”

“Of course, Knight Saje,” Banadai said.

Kara moved back to where she’d left Zip, only to find Amdali standing by himself. 

“Captain,” Kara said.

“Knight Saje,” Amdali said with a nod, “Captain Zip went to avail himself of the buffet and get a drink.  I was wondering if I could persuade you to have that dance with me.”

Kara considered, and then held out her hand, “I did say I might, but I make no promises as to skill.”

Amdali laughed and slid his arm under her hand.  “We’ll make the statement of the night.”

They moved around to the dance floor as a song ended.  Kara took an unsteady breath, reminded herself that she could do it, and let Amdali lead her onto the floor.  The next song was a slow waltz from Alderaan that Kara actually knew and she relaxed as Amdali led her around the floor.

They were an unusual pair, especially given that Kara wore her Jedi tunics and pants as opposed to the glittering dresses around her.

“We’re definitely making a statement,” Kara murmured.

“I’m sorry?”  Amdali asked.

Kara smiled at him, “Just noting how many people were noticing us.  I presume they never expected a Jedi to dance.”

“I honestly thought you’d decline,” Amdali said.

Kara tilted her head a little, “I like dancing sometimes, with a skilled partner.  Besides, it’s rude if you don’t.”

“An Ilandrian thing,” Amdali said after a moment.

“Yes,” Kara replied.  They fell silent to finish the dance, and Kara wove through the crowd, heading for the buffet.  Zip appeared shortly after she appeared in the room.  “Have a nice trip?”  Kara asked as she accepted the water he offered.

“Well enough,” Zip said, his eyes widening slightly, “although I may have had too much water.”

“Good, you can help me find the refreshers,” Kara said pointedly.

They moved to the back of the room together, where the refreshers were located, and a back exit.  Kara watched the crowd, finding far too many interested parties following her and Zip around.  Zip squeezed her arm as they passed the exit.

A scream came from the front room, then laughter.  People turned, moving to see what was happening.  “That’s our distraction,” Zip said and reached to open one of the doors.

“What kind of a distraction?”  Kara asked as she slipped outside, shivering and cursing her forgotten cloak.

“Swoop’s retrieving your cloak,” Zip replied.

“And?”  Kara asked.

“He’s naked.”

Kara sighed, “I wanted a discrete exit, Zip.”

“Nobody’s going to notice us leaving if a naked clone is fetching your cloak,” Zip countered.

Kara sighed and shrugged, Zip did have a point.  “Were you looking to leave too?”

“Yes,” Zip said, “message from High Command’s come in, you’re needed at the comm center.”

“Wonderful,” Kara said, “let’s go.”

They moved around to the speeder parking area, arriving just in time to see Swoop come running in, carrying Kara’s cloak and shivering.  Kara held back, pointedly looking away so that Swoop could get dressed.

“We’re ready,” Swoop called.

Kara joined them, accepting her cloak.  “Thank you for doing that Swoop.  I appreciate the sacrifice.”

“No sacrifice,” Swoop replied as they left the area.  “It was a good cause.”  He slid them into a high elevation travel lane, “It’s not the first time Zip’s had a plan like this either.  At least this time, I knew being undressed was an active part of the plan.”

“You keep bringing that up,” Zip said, “but you knew perfectly well I was going to suggest somebody get naked.”

“Yeah, but I figured you’d get Oddball to do it,” Swoop said.  “I’d have objected more if I knew you meant for me to do it.”

“I needed TZ and Oddball in the vents,” Zip said, “they were the shortest of us, and Jump wouldn’t do it for anything.”

Swoop glanced back at Kara briefly, “After that little misadventure, Zip and I have had a deal.  I’ll trust him and do what needs doing as long as I’m not blindly going into a situation where I end up naked in public.”

Kara laughed, “Sounds like a good deal.  I can’t say I’ve ever had any naked adventures.  I mostly got yelled at for inappropriate use of the Force.”

“And what does that entail?”  Swoop asked.

“Generally floating people to emphasize a point,” Kara said, “it’s the best thing I’ve found to convince people to hear my point of view.”

“Like with Jaws?”  Zip asked.

“Yup,” Kara said.

They fell silent after that, and Kara wondered what news was coming in that she had to leave the party immediately to find out.  She’d checked for news before they left, but had seen nothing truly important on the list.

When they landed, Chip and Lieutenant Creeper from the 429th were waiting for them, “General Windu is standing by, General,” Chip said as they saluted.

“Thank you,” Kara replied with a quick nod.  She hurried into the command building and into the more private comm room, where she slid into the chair before the holostation and activated it.

“Knight Saje,” Master Windu said, looking grim.

“Master Windu,” Kara said, “I’m sorry for keeping you waiting.  Is something wrong?”

“We may need you back on Coruscant soon,” Master Windu said, “the Separatists attempted to attack today.”

“Attack _Coruscant?”_   Kara said, “What can I do?”

“The Chancellor was taken by General Grievous,” Master Windu said, “we’ve recalled Master Kenobi and Knight Skywalker to deal with the matter, but if Grievous gets too far away, we’ll want you on this.”

“Where is Grievous now?”  Kara asked, feeling confused.

“Our last intelligence was that he hasn’t left Coruscant just yet.  We hope to have Kenobi and Skywalker intercept him before he leaves the system, but if he does leave.”

“Then search and rescue will have to take point,” Kara nodded.  “I actually had a breakthrough of my own tonight, so hopefully I can wrap things up without having to damage diplomatic relations here.”

“I would appreciate an update,” Master Windu said after a moment.

“As I previously reported, we located the Academy ring of a young officer in the Aurin Defense, someone identified to us as being sponsored by an older officer.  I have not met the man in question, but I was introduced to his wife this evening.”  Kara hesitated, glancing to make sure the door was shut.  “She was wearing the Kyber Crystal from Jaran Val’s lightsaber on a necklace.”

“She was what?”  Master Windu demanded.

“It was a message,” Kara said, “I think it was a plea for help.  Aurin creates crystals that look similar to Kybers, many people tonight used them for accessories.  Only a Jedi would have known the difference.  I’ve been tracking some leads, but this, it’s my breakthrough.  As soon as I can pin that officer down in a clear location and ask some uncomfortable questions, whatever is happening here will come to light, I’m sure of it.”

Master Windu closed his eyes, his lips moving slightly, as if he was counting backwards.  Then he opened his eyes, “I look forward to hearing the full report.”

“Yes, Master Windu,” Kara replied.

“There is one more thing,” Master Windu said, “Unless we recall you to Coruscant, your new Commander should be arriving within the week.  CC-5277, Commander Saneone, will be bringing four additional troopers with him, but has already requested that they not be assigned to a different squadron.”

Kara pressed her lips together to keep from asking again why she couldn’t just promote Zip, “And the squadrons?”

“At the end of this mission, one way or another, you’ll go to Kamino to receive them,” Master Windu said.

Kara nodded, “Is there anything else I need to be aware of, sir?”

“Not at this time,” Master Windu replied.  “May the Force be with you, Knight Saje.”

“And with you, Master Windu,” Kara replied with a seated bow.

Once the hologram shut off Kara leaned forward with a groan, planting her face in her hands.  She had so much to do, she had to find a way to speak with Captain Bani, pass the word on to the men about Coruscant, and tell Zip about Saneone.  Kara was tired, and there was only so many hours in a day.

Finally, she stood and stepped outside, finding Chip waiting for her, “Pass on that I want to speak with Captain Bani as soon as possible, here on base.  My compliments to Captain Zip and I need to speak with him at 0730 in my office, and, with my compliments, I need a meeting with all the Captains at 0900 in the conference room.  I’m retiring for the night.”

“I’ll see it done,” Chip said with a quick salute.  “Fallback and Bones are waiting to escort you to your quarters.”

“Thank you, Chip,” Kara said with a bow and a smile.

/././.\\.\\.\

Kara wordlessly poured Zip a cup of caff and set it before him.  Zip accepted it with a smile as Kara mixed her own cup.

“Begging your pardon sir, but I believe you’re stalling,” Zip said as he watched her.

“I am,” Kara agreed.  “I guess, I should open with, I’m not happy with this.  I argued with the Council, but they wouldn’t budge.”

“Sir?”  Zip asked.

Kara sat down and sighed, “The Council has assigned the 425th a new commander.  I asked for you to be promoted instead if I had to have a commander, but they refused on the grounds of your lack of experience and the expected increase in troops.”

Zip nodded after a moment, “Are we expecting a large number?”

“Two squads of shinies, and the Commander is bringing four men with him.”  Kara replied.

Zip set his mug down, “Permission to speak freely, sir.”

“Granted,” Kara said instantly.

“I won’t say I’m unhappy,” Zip said, “I want to be a commander, but sir, I was field promoted to Captain in the battle where we lost General Misha.  Integrating shinies and dealing with large numbers are things I don’t have experience with.  Depending on what kind of Commander we get, I can learn from them on these matters.”

Kara closed her eyes, “His name is Saneone, and as I said, he’s bringing four troopers with him.”

“ _Saneone?”_ Zip said, “CC-5277?”

“Yes,” Kara said, “you know him?”

“Chip knows them better,” Zip replied, “but if he’s bringing people with him, it would have to be his batch unit, CT-5276, 78, 79, and 80.  Chip named them Trickster, Imp, Mischief, and Mayhem, and by reputation they live up to it.  He was with the 63rd, a mixed air and ground force under General Bo Mar.  I wonder what happened.  Either way, Saneone’s a good soldier, and a good commander.”

“Well, we’ve been given a base to operate out of,” Kara said, “a space station.  As long as we’re using the smaller groups we have now, I’d prefer to leave him in command of the station; integrate shinies, arrange supplies, and do the preliminary scouting missions for retrievals.”

“Someone to rescue us when we get over our head?”  Zip suggested.

“When we have enough to form a second company, perhaps,” Kara said.  “But that will be a discussion for a later date.”  She rested her elbows on the desk and rested her chin on her linked fingers as she studied her captain.

“Something else on your mind, sir?”  Zip asked.

“At the party last night, I met a woman named Nyarai Bani,” Kara said, “she was wearing the Kyber Crystal from Jaran Val’s lightsaber.  I’m pretty sure it was a cry for help.”

“Are we going to question her?”  Zip asked.

“I’d rather speak to her husband, Captain Bani.  He’s the sponsor of the owner of that ring I found,” Kara said.  “I’m waiting on word about that.  I told you because that information needs to be known by a few, but not shared.  If I’m pulled out of this investigation, someone needs to be able to pass that on.”  She finished her caff and stood, “I’m going to go arrange a tray for the next meeting.  Would you make sure there are enough chairs in the conference room?”

“Yes sir,” Zip said, standing as well.  He hesitated, “Are you likely to be pulled?”

Kara shook her head, “I’ll explain at the full meeting, this is something everyone should be aware of.  I have a plan, if they’ll work with me.”

“They will,” Zip said.

Kara shook her head slightly and headed to arrange for refreshments at the meeting.  It was too early for her to scrounge up some less than approved booze, but she could, at least, make sure there was plenty of drink options and snacks.

They met in the conference room, “Captain Tor isn’t back yet?”  Kara asked as she counted heads.

“Not yet,” Captain Finn said quietly.

Kara shook her head slightly, “We may need to actually recall him.  Last night I got word from Coruscant.”  She looked at each of them, “General Grievous led an assault on Coruscant and succeeded with taking the Chancellor prisoner.  At the moment, they believe Grievous is trapped on Coruscant, but that can change.”

“They’re recalling you,” Rey said.

“Not yet,” Kara said, “The Council recalled General Kenobi and Commander Skywalker to spearhead their efforts.  However, if they fail and Grievous leaves Coruscant, I will be.”  She laid her hands on the table, “I promise you, I’ll have General Val back before that happens, even if I have to mind trick and force a diplomatic incident to do it.  Jaran’s my priority, just as he always has been.  I had a breakthrough at that party last night, I have a link I didn’t have before.  For now, we’re going to put pressure on that link, but don’t think I won’t force the issue if I have to.  I’m just going to need some help from all of you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize, apparently there is some confusion on the timeline of this chapter. This is the 1st invasion of Coruscant. For those familiar with the 2003 Clone Wars cartoon, this references that invasion. There is a 2nd invasion, which is the opening of Revenge of the Sith. (That's my AU timeline, btw, not necessarily canon.)


	8. Be Prepared

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara's investigation grows an interesting kink.

“Thank you for agreeing to meet with me, Minister Hemari,” Kara said as she sat across from the interim Prime Minister.

“It was no trouble, Knight Saje,” Hemari said as he took his own seat.  “I confess, I was a bit surprised by your request.”

Kara smiled, “I felt the need to apologize for my abrupt departure.  An urgent message came from Coruscant.  I’m afraid that, the rest, was an overreach.  I asked for a discrete exit.”

Hemari smiled, “Well, it was certainly illuminating.  Is there anything I should be aware of concerning Coruscant?”

Kara bowed her head slightly, “There was an attempted invasion but it’s been repelled.  General Grievous was confirmed on planet, however.”

“Ah, and it was reported that Grievous was here.”  Hemari said, his smile fading.  “Now you are thinking there are those with Separatist leanings, then?”

“Well, I knew they existed,” Kara replied dryly, “there isn’t a planet in the Republic that doesn’t have a segment of the population with those beliefs.  The question was, are they just talking, or are they acting.”

“You are taking a risk talking to me,” Hemari said.

“Not really,” Kara said, “Master Sanaa told me that you were rule abiding and stuffy, but you were loyal to the Republic.”

Hemari smiled reflexively, ducking his head a bit, “She told you that huh?  How is my little sister?”

“Last I heard?  Chasing clankers across the boundary of Hutt space with her own company of crazy, chaos loving troopers.”  Kara said with a return smile.

“So, you have something to share,” Hemari said, “because I would prefer if Master Val were found safely and all of you left the system.”

“I have a lead,” Kara agreed, “but it’s insubstantial.  Just, a feeling I picked up last night.  I wanted to ensure I had permission to question people as I needed to in light of this new information.”

“Of course,” Hemari said, “within reason, of course.  Pulling people out of meetings or out of certain situations would be counterproductive, I would think.”

“Absolutely,” Kara said.  “I just wanted to make sure I could do what I feel is necessary here.  And I’d appreciate it if you would confirm that with the Defense Forces before I start looking for people, because if my troops are anything to go by, they’ll need that validation from you before anything goes down.”

“I’ll send the order down as soon as this meeting is over with,” Hemari agreed.

Kara opened her mouth to say something when the Force surged around them.  Unlike a few days ago, when a disturbance had rippled outwards, this was the Force, acting on her specifically.  A vision, a true vision, the kind she so rarely experienced.

_A voice, old and cracked by age, “Search and rescue will come when you leave Coruscant, if they are able.”_

_Ships dropping out of hyperspace, distinctive in that they were Sep cruisers, not Republic._

_Jaran Val, pinned and targeted by droids and her too far away to save him._

_Her people on the battle field, fighting against Aurin’s weather and the droids alike._

And through it all the Force thrummed out _soon._

“Trouble’s coming,” Kara announced.

“What?”  Hemari asked.

Kara stood up, “Trouble’s coming.  The Force gave me a vision.”

“The Separatists are coming back,” Hemari said grimly.

“Soon,” Kara agreed, “too soon.  I need to get back to base.  There are preparations I must make.”  She bowed to Hemari, “Minister Hemari, thank you for the conversation, and please, I need to be able to speak with Captain Ikenna Bani soon about Knight Val.”

“I’ll arrange it,” Hemari said.

“Please be subtle,” Kara added, “I think he may be an unwilling participant in whatever conspiracy is brewing here.”

“I will,” Hemari said, “do not worry.”

“Thank you, Minister Hemari,” Kara said and left.

Rusty and Chip almost crashed into each other as she hurried past them.  “Tell Swoop we’re incoming,” she ordered over her shoulder.  “We need to be back at base yesterday.”

“Yes sir,” Chip said.

“Contact the base,” Kara added as they hurried through the building.  “I need the captains in the meeting room when I get there, and get someone on comms to recall Captain Tor.”

“On it,” Rusty said.

Swoop was at the door as they exited and Kara barely slowed down.

“What’s going on sir?”  Swoop asked as they pulled away from the capital building.

“For the third time in my life, I had an actual kriffing vision,” Kara replied, rubbing her temples.  “The Separatists are coming.”

“I don’t understand, an actual vision?”  Chip asked.

“Three times now,” Kara said slowly, “I have seen what I usually draw.  Each time, it is because there is no time to put stylus to pad and see what results.  Always, it has happened exactly as I’ve seen, and always within a day.”

“Kriff, a Sep attack coming, in a day,” Rusty muttered.

“More than that,” Kara said, “we must find Jaran Val immediately, even if it means stepping on toes.  The 429th will fight, but I’m going to need the 425th to some extent.”

“What did you see?”  Chip asked.

Kara twisted to look at him, “If we do not find Jaran Val soon, he’s going to die.”

They swept into base minutes later, and Kara could feel tension rippling through the air.  Her order to get Captain Tor back was no doubt rippling through the base, making everyone come to high alert.  Kara slid out of the speeder as soon as it stopped, heading for command, leaving Rusty and Chip to scramble after her.

The door slammed open without a touch, allowing Kara to enter unhindered.  As she passed through the entry way, she realized she’d left her robe behind in the Prime Minister’s office.  Then she dismissed it, she had other concerns now.  Knight Saje could wait, she had to be a General first.

“There is a Separatist attack coming,” Kara announced as she walked into the conference room, counting heads.  “The exact time line is unknown, but their ships will come out of hyperspace within the day.”

“How,” Captain Jaws began.

“I Saw it,” Kara replied, “a true vision.  I need Captain Tor back to take his company for the battle.”  She leaned on the table and looked at each of the Captains in turn before settling on Zip.  “I have also foreseen that we are almost out of time to find Jaran Val.  I need the 425th with me to work towards that, now that we have a path to follow.  Zip, I’m going to contact Master Windu after this meeting.  I have a feeling.”

“We’re going to need a Commander,” Zip said.

Kara nodded.

“What Commander?”  Ray demanded.

“The Council is assigning the 425th a Commander,” Kara said simply, “to allow for a stable and experienced command as we rebuild our ranks.  Commander CC-5277, Saneone.  I hope we can get him on a ship out here quickly, if he is as experienced as the Council says, then I want him to direct the battle.”

“Not you?”  Captain Finn asked.

Kara glared at him, “As I said, we have to find General Val _now._   I need to focus on that, and I need the 425th with me.  Now, regardless of your opinion of my Captain, I want to know something.”  She looked at each of the Captains for a moment, “Is he, or is he not, well known as a strategist with a skill for outside the box thinking?”

“He is,” Jaws finally admitted, with nods from the others.

“Then I want Zip to be lead on your strategic planning.  If he’s got the mind for it, then let him _use_ it.  When the Commander gets here, he’ll assume full command, of course.”  Kara said.

“But you,” Shell said and hesitated.

“I need the 425th,” Kara said, “except for Home Squad, who will have their usual position.”

Zip nodded, “They’ll hold the primary command and communications post when we hit dirt.”  He stood up, and Kara stepped back.  “We don’t have a landing zone yet,” he glanced at Kara, who nodded slightly, “but Home Squad will handle security there.  Lieutenant Screech will have primary control, and I’d like to co-op another Lieutenant and squad from the 429th as additional security given that Screech is CMO and will need to focus on that.”

“Better make it Krayt,” Finn said, “he’s got the lead comm officer in his command, and Oak can handle three squads if need be, he’s got practice.”

Zip nodded, “Right.  Given that I’m lead here, I’ll stay at command to coordinate, but I’m thinking some of our best tactics will be pincer movements and ambushes, depending on where the droids land.  We’ve got 573 men to put on the ground, and I want all of you with your men to keep things moving.  If base gets hit, Jaws, you’re next in command.”

“Me?”  Jaws said.

Zip nodded, “If it’s going that way, I want the asshole who beat me twice by virtue of keeping more of your people alive than mine in command.  You’ve got a good mind for working out the tactics to my strategies.”

Kara nodded slightly, “Do you want me to send Swoop and Screech in, Captain?  I’m going to get on the comm to Command and get Saneone on a ship headed our way.”

“Yes sir, please,” Zip said.

Kara walked down the hall, pausing to give Rusty the order to get the two Lieutenants into the conference room, and to round up the rest of the 425th in the mess hall for a meeting.  Then it was a quick message to Coruscant, and a brief talk with Adi Gallia about their impending trouble and need, dropped by her office to take care of a few things, and then she was heading for the mess hall herself.  Rusty had rounded up a couple of the 429th to stand on the doors to let them meet, so there were four squads waiting for her in the mess hall gathered at a couple of close together tables.

“You may have heard that the Separatists are coming,” Kara said, looking at her people, “and it’s true.  As we speak, Captain Zip is working with the 429th Captains to devise strategy for the attack.  Home Squad will be working under their directives until this is over.”  She took a deep breath and let it out, reaching for the Force for assurance as she gave them her best serene mask.  “I must ask of you all to accept a much more difficult assignment.  I have seen in my vision that Jaran Val will not survive this attack if we cannot first free him.  I need you, all of you, to help me find him.”

“We’re not going to fight?”  Rocky demanded.

“No,” Kara said.  “Not on the battlefield like the 429th.  The 425th’s standing order is to be _search and rescue_ , and that is what we must do now.  Find and free General Jaran Val.  It’s not going to be easy, half of it will be chasing down and forcefully questioning some people, but what I saw, there will definitely be a fight.”  She crossed her arms and looked at them, “The 425th isn’t a combat unit like the 429th, the 501st or the 104th.  We’re search and rescue, which can and does see combat, but we don’t go on the front lines.  I understand that must be a disappointment for you, and once our mission is over, I’ll be happy to discuss transferring to a combat unit.  For now, I need you all of you, or this isn’t going to work.”

“What do you need, General?”  Sergeant Ghost asked.

Kara nodded, “You got a name for your squad yet, Sergeant?”

“Not yet, sir,” Ghost replied.

“Then for this operation, you’ll be called Shadow Squadron.  I’ve got a special job for you to do.”  Kara said, and took a roll of papers from her pocket and walked over to drop them in front of the Sergeant.  “These are what I keep drawing when I’ve tried to pinpoint Val.  In my vision, that room was filled with droids, and I was trapped on the stairs.”

Ghost took the pictures, “What can Shadow Squad do for you then?”

“As soon as we get a location, I want your squad in position to cover Val.  Not to rescue him, just to cover him.”  Kara said, “I get the feeling that a, discrete, squad might come in handy sometimes.  Advanced scouting, invisible back up sort of thing.”

“Sounds like you need commandos or ARCs,” one of the troopers by Ghost said, leaning over to look.

“Can it, Fisheye,” Ghost said giving the trooper a pointed look.

“Well, we don’t rate commandos and ARCs,” Kara said.  “Non-combat and all that.  We make do with what we have.  If you want to be fancy, we can call you Rangers instead of Troopers or something.  Special operations types.”

“What about the rest of us?”  Hook asked.

“Knight Squadron’s on me, as per usual,” Kara said with a short nod to Blaze.  “Bucket and,” she glanced at the last sergeant, Spitball.

“Rusty, sir,” Spitball said.

Kara raised her eyebrow at him.

“Well, we’re the only squad who isn’t due to get shineys sir,” Spitball said, “so, we’re the Rusties.”

Kara had known that little comment of hers was going to come back to haunt her, so she just nodded and clapped her hands, “All right, the Rusty Bucket’s going to be holding at the capitol building with a gunship until I need them.  That will either be when the Seps show up and hit the ground, or we get the location.  While Shadow’s going straight in as soon as they get location, you’ll either join me because the Seps are on the ground, or I’ll come to you and we’ll move from there.  Ideally, when we hit our target, you’ll hold the ground floor and the exit to the gunship while Knight follows me to Jaran.”  She looked at them, “Sound like a beginning?”

“Sounds like a plan,” Ghost said.

“Sergeant, if you haven’t learned already, allow me to instruct you,” Kara said with a kind smile, “Plans seldom last past the first engagement with the enemy.  I’ve learned that the hard way.”a


	9. The Loose End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara finds a starting point, and learns a few surprises along the way.

Ikenna Bani was young and slender, about average height for an Aurin, and felt to Kara like he’d just come out of a cockpit.  This was a pilot, uncomfortable in his formal uniform and dragged by gravity in a way science could never explain.  It was tempting for Kara to ask Swoop and Jumper to speak with Bani, but she knew her pilots had a lot to do before the battle began.

“Captain Bani,” Kara said, sliding into her seat.

“General,” Bani said, and winced slightly.

“General’s fine,” Kara said with a slight bow.  “I had the honor of meeting your wife the other night.  Congratulations.  Will it be your first child?”

“No ma’am,” Bani said, “our third.”

“A family of blessings,” Kara said.  “I would also like to thank you for leading the pilots who are going to be helping us.”

Bani inclined his head, “I’m glad we can help.”

Kara rested her arms on the table, “Captain, your wife has interesting tastes in jewelry.”

“It was a gift,” Bani said.  “A celebration of my new position.”

Kara nodded slightly, “What kind of new position?”

Bani ducked his head for a moment, “Lead pilot for the Prime Minister.  After the election, I mean.”

Kara shifted, leaning back slightly, “Sounds like a position with some promise.  I imagine there was a lot of competition for it.”

“Not as much as you might think,” Bani said, “you travel a lot, takes you away from home.  You miss out on seeing your family, miss seeing the milestones your children surpass.”

Kara considered that and changed tactics, “I understand that Lieutenant Swoop, the commanding officer for our pilots, has a desire to speak with you about deploying your people.”

Bani nodded, “I would appreciate such a conversation, General.”

“Then I will take you to the Lieutenant,” Kara said, standing.  They shook hands and headed out the door, pulling on outwear in a friendly sort of silence before heading out in the shocking cold.  “I’ve been trying to figure it out,” Kara said, “Is this summer or winter?”

“This is summer,” Bani said, “if you go further south, there’s no snow on the ground.”

“But there is snow here,” Kara said.

Bani stumbled, knocking Kara’s shoulder.  “Sorry,” Bani said.

“It’s all right,” Kara said, “the path’s a little uneven in parts.  Freeze, thaw cycle or some such.”

“Tafari Domi was saying we’d see a blizzard this week,” Bani said.

“Who?”  Kara asked.

“One of the other Captains,” Bani said, “good man, got himself a couple of weather bones.”

“A blizzard is exactly what we don’t need,” Kara muttered as they reached the ships.

With Bani safely surrounded by Swoop and his pilots, Kara headed back to command.  Her hand twisted around a small capsule in her pocket that practically pulsed with the Force when her hand was that close.  It was, Kara thought, a very distinctive feeling.

“Captain Shell!”  She called as she walked into main room.

“Yes sir,” Shell said, appearing around the main holo table.

“Get someone in here to perform a bug sweep,” Kara said, “there’s a possibility the walls have ears, and send Lieutenant Creeper to join me outside near the north wall.”

“Yes sir,” Shell said with a salute.

Kara turned and went to the side room where Ian had been given space to work.  She rested a hand on the back of his chair and leaned over slightly, “Ian, I need you to double check Bani and his wife.  There’s something about the Captain, something he’s hiding.  I want to know what.”

“Yes sir,” Ian said.

Kara clapped her hand on his shoulder, “I also want that list of commercial holdings and their owners of records that I asked for.  Get it on my desk by the time I get back.”

“Sir, yes sir,” Ian said with a quick salute.

That done, Kara headed out to the wall, pleased to see Lieutenant Creeper arrive moments after she did.  “General,” Creeper said with a prompt salute.

Kara bowed, “Lieutenant, I have a special assignment for your squad tonight.”

“Sir?”  Creeper said.

Kara leaned in, letting her hood and Creeper’s body hide her face as she gave him a series of very specific orders.

That done, Kara went looking for two very specific people.

Kodah was in the command room, watching as Zip and some of the 429th Captains discussed strategy.  “Lieutenant Kodah, with me,” Kara said pointedly.  Then she turned to Zip, “Is Tor back yet?”

“No sir,” Zip said, giving the three captains a pointed look.

“Inform me the minute he gets here,” Kara said before leading Kodah towards the mess hall, where they found Zakiyah enjoying a mug of caff.  “Bring that with you,” Kara said pointedly, “and come with me.”

“Yes ma’am,” Zakiyah said, startled.

Kara led them to the western side of the compound, stopping them in a space between two supply domes and crossed her arms.  “All right, you have this one chance to come clean, both of you,” Kara said, “or I’ll have Swoop take you up to the _Retrieval_ for incarceration on obstruction of justice charges.  I need to know what you know.”

The pair exchanged looks and Kodah nodded slightly.  Zakiyah sighed and nodded back.

“We’re part of a political movement,” Zakiyah said.

“We want to make changes to the way Aurin is run,” Kodah said, “the defense practice of taking kids as young as eight and forcing them to stay until they retire, it’s wrong.”

“Not to mention the cycle of electing the same rich politicians to power,” Zakiyah said.  “They’re so obsessed with bring power to themselves and their families they’ve forgotten.”

“We want to create a second political body, eventually,” Kodah said, “something specifically for people who are part of the old families.”

“For now, we want to see changes put in place,” Zakiyah said, “change the tax code, minimum wage, those sorts of things.”

“The Republic enforces universal healthcare and education standards across the board, but they don’t ensure minimum wage standards, vacation benefits, or safe working conditions in all things,” Kodah said.

Kara regarded them for a moment, “And why are the two of you here then?”

“Pure chance,” Kodah said, “at least for me.  I just happen to be up on the duty roster when they decided you needed a liaison.  It could have been anyone, and if they’d had more warning, I wouldn’t wonder if it wasn’t someone with the people who took General Val.”

“I’ve been working with my family’s political allies,” Zakiyah said, “a position like this, it opens doors in politics right now.  They maneuvered me in.”  She wrinkled her nose slightly, “They don’t share my political views, but they’re useful.  It easier to get in position to _break_ the system if you understand how to _use_ the system.  I think some of them are with the kidnappers, though.  They’ve asked me some weird questions about you, and the base.  I’ve, well, I’ve played it up that you weren’t happy about me being here, that you tell me nothing, and that you’d get your people to bury me in a shallow grave if I went snooping.”

“They buy that?”  Kara asked.

Zakiyah bit her lip and glanced at Kodah, who tilted his head at Kara with a pointed look.

“Ian helped,” Zakiyah said.  “He- doesn’t know everything, but, Kodah and I, we implied someone was trying to force me to…”

“I see,” Kara said, cutting in as Zakiyah trailed off.  “So, neither of you has any real ties to the Separatist faction?”

“No!”  The pair exclaimed in unison.

“We _want_ to stay Republic,” Zakiyah continued, “There’s too many benefits to our people that the Separatists haven’t offered.  There’s even some grants we want to apply for, to help us restructure the higher education system and set in motion some of the changes we want.”

“Those credits will let us take our ideas to the general public,” Kodah said, “not propaganda, but actual information, things that they can verify on their own.”

Kara regarded them for a long moment, then nodded before pointing at Zakiyah, “I’m warning Master Gallia about you.  I get the feeling the two of you are either going to be political allies or rivals, and I’m not sure which.”  She rubbed her arms for a moment, aware that it seemed to be getting colder.  “I’m not getting involved in your movement, by the way.  I was sent here for Val, and that’s _it._   My Master used to say that political machinations were best left to those suited for it, and frankly I agree.  All I want from you two are the things I’ve asked in terms of the investigation.”

The pair exchanged a look, and a nod, “That sounds fair,” Zakiyah said, “Although I can’t say it’s not a disappointment.  We are, of course, at your disposal.”

Kara nodded slightly, “Then make me a list of who you report to, and which of them you think are working with Val’s kidnappers.  Lieutenant, I want you with Captain Zip for now.  I’ll come find you if I need you.”

“Yes sir,” Kodah said with a quick salute and left, Zakiyah just behind him.

Kara nodded to herself, then headed for her quarters, intending to warm up before she changed into full armor.  She was just entering the room when her private comm went off.

“Saje,” she said, settling on her bed.

“General,” Captain Sei’lar said, “we’ve heard from Coruscant Command.  Commander Saneone and four troopers will be here at 0700 in the morning.”

“And troopers,” Kara repeated, then shook her head slightly, “All right.  Unless the Separatists are here, direct them to land on planet.”

“Understood General,” Sei’lar replied.  “Are we to expect any other arrivals?”

Kara shook her head, and then remembered the holo receptors weren’t on, “No.  Everyone who can is in Coruscant space, looking to head off Grievous.”

“Shall I put the word out anyways?”  Sei’lar asked.

“I told the Council,” Kara said, “but if you think it will work, then go right ahead.”

“Thank you, sir,” Sei’lar said.

“Anything else I need to be aware of?”  Kara asked.

“Not at the moment,” Sei’lar said, “but I’ll let you know when that changes.”

Kara chuckled and shut down the comm.  She liked the Captain, he was, as Honso and Hondo both would say, ‘good people’.  Kara dressed quickly, packing her bag with the usual suspects, and on a hunch dropping an extra set of power chargers for the comm.  With everything together, Kara sat down on her bed and rested her head in her hands, eyes closed.  If she was wrong, she was going to cause a political incident at the least, and at worst, she was going to get someone killed.

Carefully, Kara reached for the Force, seeking reassurance that she could do it.  The familiar, and beloved, warmth filled her, reaching into all the shadows in her heart and filling them with light.  It was very much like getting a hug from a friend.  It was the feeling she got when Asara cuddled up to her on a couch or her chair and they hugged for comfort.  Feeling better, Kara slipped on her cloak and headed for command, intent on moving on to the next stage of her project.

Waiting on her desk was a datapad with the list from Ian, and Kara scanned it quickly, but before she could identify anyone, Zakiyah’s list popped up as well.  With those two documents in hand, Kara sat and looked for matches.  Those matches, and a few other names, were sent back to Ian with a request for more information on them.

Then Fallback showed up with a tray, “Dinner, sir.”

Kara glanced up, “I’m sorry?”

“You missed dinner,” Fallback said, “I brought you a tray.”

“You didn’t have to,” Kara said, shifting her datapad aside.

“I wanted to,” Fallback replied.  “I literally have nothing else to do until we get called out, ma’am.”

“Oh,” Kara said, “are you upset, that you won’t be with the 429th?”

“Not really,” Fallback said.

Kara gestured, “Sit down, Fallback.  I could use something to get my mind off this for a moment.”

“Sure,” Fallback said.  “See, my squad shipped out just in time to be a part of the battle where we lost our General.  I’m the only survivor, and I only survived because I took a shot to my hip that got me a med-evac.  My first battle was almost my last, so I’m not too upset about being a non-combat unit.  If our past few missions are the example, I get to spend more time blowing things up.”

“So, you like being an explosive expert?”  Kara asked as she began to pick at her food.

“Absolutely,” Fallback replied, “the first time we got mock detonators in combat, I was so excited to use them I completely forgot about protocol.  Instead of shouting fire in the hole, I just started screaming fallback, which scared everybody, but got them clear.  Watching those detonators go off was amazing.  I wanted to learn everything about them.  I used to experiment with the detonators, seeing what I could get them to do.  Everyone liked it when I figured out how to change out the dye packs.  They were red, to demonstrate simulated damage.  I could make them almost every other color.  Nobody liked it when I upped the output enough to take out two training rooms with one blast.”

Kara laughed, “I can just imagine.”

Fallback shrugged, “Well, Chip and Rusty have been looking out for me since I got here, and Chip set me up with a holonet account.  I’ve been learning about homebrew explosions and chemistry.”

Kara nodded, “I can see how that would be useful.  I bet I know a few guys who could teach you some tricks, would you like me to see?”

Fallback smiled shyly, “I think I’d like that.”  He shifted in his seat, “I’d better go.  The Sergeant’s going to be looking for me before too long.”

“Thank you for the food and the conversation,” Kara said.

After Fallback left, Kara pulled her datapad back over and began to look over the data as she nibbled on the bread that came with her soup.   After scanning the lists, and checking the few available files, Kara stopped.  She read over the file she’d opened two more time then hissed out a breath of air and dumped her bread back on her plate.

She called her cloak to her as she slammed out the door, “Zip, Blaze, Hook, Speedy, Ghost, Spitball,” she shouted.

Zip, Blaze, and Spitball came out of the command center instantly, “Sir?”  Captain Zip asked as they saluted quickly.

“Get the squadrons moving,” Kara ordered, “I know where we need to go.”


	10. Going Hunting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blaze prepares for the invasion and Kara goes hunting.

Zip leaned over the holotable, shifting the map over different places.  He paused it to study terrain.

“Until we know where they’re landing, that’s going to be useless,” Jaws observed.

Zip glanced up at his fellow captain, then shifted the map again.  “No, but it keeps me from thinking about things.”

“Well, here’s something new to think about,” Jaws said, “your General left to go hunting, and Lieutenant Creeper just came back with his squad, a woman and her kids.  Special protective custody on General Saje’s orders.”

Zip made a fist and counted to five silently, “Okay, put the Lady and her children in the conference room.  I’m going to borrow General Saje’s office to speak with the Lieutenant.  Have someone bring the Lady refreshments if she desires.”

Creeper was the brother with the full-face tattoo, Zip remembered, dark and distinctive in one of the more memorable design choices Zip had ever seen.

“So,” Zip said, “what did my General ask of you?”

“To bring Lady Bani and her children to the base when it was dark, without being seen.  To make sure they were safe until my General was found,” Creeper said.

It took a moment for Zip to pull it together, Lady Bani had worn the kyber crystal from Jaran Val’s lightsaber.  Zip close his eyes, trying to think out what to do.  The base wasn’t safe, neither where the ships.  None of them knew the planet well enough.  Zip’s eyes opened, “Get Kodah in here, Lieutenant.”

“Yes sir,” Creeper said with a salute and stepped out.

Kodah arrived at a near run, “How can I help, sir?”  He blurted out with a salute.

“Lieutenant, I have a witness with special information pertaining to General Saje’s investigation who needs a safe house.  The base will likely be a Separatist target, and the ships are even more likely to engage the enemy.  Where can we take the lady and her children?”

Kodah’s face went blank for a long moment, then he frowned, it was easy to see that he was thinking the problem over thoroughly, but quickly.  Finally, he dropped his head for a moment and sighed.

“If I had time, I could set it up,” Kodah said, “but with no time, there’s only one place I could suggest.  I’d have to go along, to explain, but they’ll help.”

“You’re sure?”  Zip asked.

“Absolutely,” Kodah replied.

“Well then, Lieutenants, you two work out how to get where you’re going,” Zip said, “I’ll have a few words with Lady Bani, and then you’ll be on your way.”

“Yes sir,” the Lieutenants saluted.

“Tell one person where you’ll be,” Zip added, “so that if need be, we can come get you, but don’t share it about.  Dismissed.”

Zip headed into the conference room, to find one of the 429th troopers being held hostage by a pair of kids, one clung to his knee and the other barely reached his hip.  From the tray on the table, Zip thought he knew what had led to this scene, and he was hard pressed to keep his face neutral, until the littler child saw him, gasped and jumped from the trooper onto his foot.

“Shiny,” the child laughed.

“Yeah?”  Zip asked.

“You have a sun in your heart.”

Zip blinked and looked over to find the taller child was leaning around the trooper to stare at him.  “I have a what now?”

“Sun,” the little child said and giggled again.

“All right you two,” Lady Bani said, “come have your snack.”

“Snack!”  The little child let go of Zip’s leg and threw themselves across the room to one of the chairs by the table.

“Yes Mama,” the tall child said.  He hugged the trooper, “Thanks for the food, sorry about Britauni.”

“You’re welcome,” the trooper said carefully.

“Go on,” Zip told the trooper, “I’ll police the tray.”

“Thank you, sir,” the trooper said and bolted.

“Lady Bani,” Zip said, “I’m sorry for all of this.”

“It’s all right,” Lady Bani said.  “Call me Nyarai, please.”

Zip bowed his head slightly, “I’m Captain Zip of the 425th, under General Saje’s command.  You will have to forgive us, but the General had to leave the base.”

“Is everything all right?”  Lady Bani asked.

“It’s fine,” Zip said, “except that the Separatists are expected to arrive tomorrow, and we can’t promise the base is safe.”

“Okay,” Lady Bani said slowly.

“My General wanted you safe,” Zip said, “so we are going to do that.  There’s a safe house we’re looking to bring you to until after the battle, by then, my General will be in a position to speak with you herself.”

Lady Bani hesitated a moment, then nodded, “I’ll go where you send us, but there is something I should leave here.”

“All right,” Zip said.

Lady Bani turned and picked up a large box with a lock on it.  “I think they gave it to Ikenna because they thought we were cowed, but,” she turned the key and opened it.

There were two metal pipes that looked familiar, surrounded by carefully packaged electronics and five crystals in small foam sets.  There was a space for one more.  Zip leaned over to look as the smaller of the children began to giggle and hum.

“They sing,” the taller one said when Zip looked at him.

“Val’s lightsabers,” Zip said finally.

“They were,” Lady Bani agreed, closing the box.

“Aw,” the little child said, pouting.

“You’ll find your own one day,” Lady Bani said.  She glanced at Zip, “I’m sorry, they’re both Force sensitive.  They were supposed to be tested, but this war happened.  Ikenna and I plan to take them to Coruscant as soon as things calm down.”

“Talk to my General,” Zip said softly, “she’ll know what to do.”  He stepped back and stuck his head out into the corridor to find Jaws walking past.  “Captain, your assistance is required.”

“What’s up Zip?”  Jaws said, he headed over.

“This box needs to be secured,” Zip said.  He pressed his hand on Jaws’s shoulder and murmured, “ _Jetti’kad,”_ when Jaws twisted to look at him, Zip nodded slightly.

“I’ll take care of it, sir,” Jaws managed, stepping in the room.  Lady Bani handed him the key and Jaws tucked it away pointedly, “I’ll make sure it gets where it belongs, ma’am.”

“Thank you,” Lady Bani replied.

Once Jaws left with the box, Zip closed the door, “Lieutenant Creeper and our liaison, Lieutenant Kodah, will be in charge of your protection.  They’ll be here shortly to see you on your way.  If you’ll forgive me.”

“There’s a war to fight,” Lady Bani said with a half-nod.  “Thank you for your help.  I appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome,” Zip replied.

/././.\\.\\.\

Saneone was set to arrive at 0700 that morning.  The Seps showed up at 0500, and Zip was ready to swear.  He’d half-counted on having someone _else_ in command when they met the droids, if only because the 429 th Captains were _still_ not happy to have him around at all.  Still, they had promised to follow orders, and once trajectory for the landing pods was confirmed, Zip gave the order to roll out.

He knew that the _Retrieval_ and the _Justified_ were engaged topside, so any help they would have would come from their small collection of gunships and the Aurin ships released to his command as well as the units from the 429 th.

Standing on the hill he’d chosen as his command center, where he could see some of what was coming, Zip forced himself to breath, because _he could do this._   This was why he’d qualified as an officer.  This was why he’d been field promoted to Captain.  Then he turned and found Screech.

“Screech,” Zip said, “I know, I have heard and generally agree with your opinions on this, but I need a stim tab.”

Screech stared at him, “You are asking me to help _poison you?”_

Zip sighed and rubbed his nose, “I’m exhausted, we’re about to go into battle, and I want to live.  It’s the first time I’ve even considered the damn things in three years.  Please, spare me the lecture and help me.”

Screech considered for a moment, then tilted his head, “Black box, says ‘hazard’ on it.  I’m not giving them to you, but I won’t stop you.”

“Thanks, Lieutenant,” Zip said and went to find the indicated box.

“What are you doing?”

Zip turned to find Jaws watching him incredulously, “I thought you swore off them.”

“I did,” Zip said as he opened the package, “but we need the edge today.”  He swallowed the tab dry, “Is Tor back?”

“Not yet,” Jaws said, “his gunship had a mechanical mishap.”

Zip sighed, “I am going to murder him as soon as I see him this is ridiculous.”

“I know,” Jaws said, “everyone else is in position.”

“The AT-TE ready to go?”  Zip asked.

“Absolutely,” Jaws said.

“Good,” Zip said.  He pointed, “I do believe that those are our guests.”  He grinned at Jaws, “Let’s give them a warm welcome.”

Jaws stared at him for a long moment, “Swoop’s right, you are terrifying.”

Zip laughed, “Swoop says the nicest things.”

/././.\\.\\.\

Kara liked working Judicial, being a part of the raids with her master was fun in a way that she could never explain.  Master Honso had always laughed and agreed when she stumbled over explaining it.  It was inexplicable to either of them that nobody else could understand what it was like when you were hunting.  With Knight Squad at her back, Kara felt like she was in her element, the hunt.

Being ambushed by clankers only made her grin as she ignited her saber and attacked them.

Of course, being ambushed on the front drive of one of the prime minister candidates was an admission of guilt in Kara’s book.  She led her men straight through the droids to take down the door with a carefully applied force hit.  Her quarry was waiting in the entry way, alone.

“Weseka Amdali,” Kara said, “I almost believed you.”

“Did you?”  Amdali asked, “What gave me away?”

“You were too perfect,” Kara said.  “You hit too many of the right check boxes.  Also, your financial actions weren’t as discreet as you might have hoped.  Weseka Amdali, you are under arrest for sedition, coercion, bribery, treason, and the facilitation of kidnapping.  Submit yourself for detainment.”

Amdali hesitated a moment and Kara angled her ignited lightsaber as a reminder of just who he faced.

“I submit,” Amdali said, bowing his head.

“Chip,” Kara said, “restrain him.  Get the Prime Minister on the phone, I want this house locked down.”

“Jaran Val is not here,” Amdali said as Chip slipped the binders on him.  Kara had given each of the squad a pair, including two of the Force inhibitor pairs, which she had entrusted to Rusty and Blaze.

“Of course not,” Kara said sweetly, “I just wanted to get you taken care of first.”

“What do we do with this one?”  Chip asked.

“We’re taking him to the local Judicial headquarters for lock up,” Kara replied, “then we’re going to get Jaran.”

They returned to the speeders Kara had acquired for them, with Chip steering the prisoner into the second speeder while Kara followed Blaze into the first.  When the door was shut, Kara dug out her comm link and sent a signal to Shadow Squadron.

“Ghost.”

“Sergeant,” Kara said, “Do you still have that list I gave you?”

“Yes sir,” Ghost replied.

“Take your men and start visiting those addresses.  Don’t go inside any of them and keep the comm open.”

“If I may ask?”  Ghost said.

“I still can’t get a read on Val, and I should.  That means they’re blocking him.  Those sorts of things leak.  I’m going to track you in the Force.  When you reach the right building, I’ll know.  Either that, or you’ll be ambushed by clankers.”  Kara said.

Ghost laughed, “All right, let’s do this.”

“Get my attention when we get to Judicial,” Kara told Blaze, “I’m going to put the fear of Jedi in a few of those people.”

“Yes sir,” Blaze said.

Kara settled her shoulder against Rusty’s armor and reached out.  It was easy to find Ghost in the Force, just as it was any of her men.  She’d been learning their Force impressions since the first day she’d entered the ship, and now she used that familiarity to follow her men.  How long it took before Blaze called for her, Kara wasn’t sure.  With the sun having set already, it was hard to judge time by the unfamiliar stars.

The Judicial building was lit up brightly though, and Kara quickly led the squad inside with their prisoner. 

She marched up to the front desk and slammed her lightsaber down, “I desire to have words with your supervisor,” she told the blinking desk clerk.

“Y-yes,” the clerk said, taking in Kara’s lightsaber and fumbling for his comm unit.

The supervisor, a tall woman with a shaved head and an imposing frown named Ibanz, showed up in moments.

“Knight Saje,” she said.

“Lieutenant Ibanz,” Kara said, “I have a prisoner I need held for the Republic.”  She gestured to Amdali.  “He damn well better be here when I get back.”

“He’s a political candidate.”  Ibanz began.

Ghost vanished from Kara’s senses.

“He’s a fucking traitor and he will be here, or I’ll be hunting,” Kara said, calling her lightsaber to her hand.  “Get him locked up now.”

“General?”  Blaze asked.

“Ghost has gone dark,” Kara replied.

“Mash, keep an eye on our prisoner,” Blaze said.  “Everyone else, let’s move.”

If Mash protested, Kara didn’t hear, she was busy following Blaze out to the speeders, leaving a sputtering Ibanz behind her.

“Ghost, Saje,” Kara said as they slid into the speeder, “I believe you’ve found him.”

“There are rollies and clankers here,” Ghost replied, “I have to agree.”

“We’re headed to you,” Kara said, “which address?”

Ghost rattled it off, “Want us to confirm?”

“Don’t get shot,” Kara replied.  “We’ll be there shortly.”


	11. Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara finds Jaran Val.

Kara met up with the Rusty Bucket three blocks from the Shadows’ location, wishing that she could get away with charging in with her lightsaber lit.  Instead, they waited for Ghost to check back in.  The area was a warehouse district with huge buildings that took up whole blocks.  According to the information Ian had put together, most of them had basements.

“Remember,” Kara said as they gathered around, “Rusty Bucket holds the first floor and an exit.  Doesn’t have to be the front door, but a quick way for us to get Val out of there.  Knight Squad’s on me.  Shadow will provide cover.”

“We got it,” Hook said with a quick nod.

“Don’t worry, you’ll have your exit,” Spitball added.

Kara’s comm chimed and she opened the line, “General, this is Shadow, we found him. We’re in position.  Be warned, there are droids.”

Kara nodded and palmed her saber and her blaster, “All right everyone, let’s go.”

She took them behind the row of buildings that faced the building they were looking at, slipping along the deserted street quietly.  As they went, Kara glanced behind her and silently promised that she’d get them some darker armor.  Night maneuvers in white armor were not stealthy at all.  When they reached the cross street that would open at the building’s southern corner, Kara signaled a stop and beckoned for Spitball.

“Sir?”  Spitball asked.

“This street leads to the target’s south corner, I want your squad here.  When we go down the next street, you do the same and _hold_ on this side of the street until we start going in.  Your people come in last of all, to hold the door and the front half of the building, understood?”  Kara asked.

“Understood sir,” Spitball said with a salute.

Kara nodded and led the way down to the next street, which would lead to the target’s north corner.  She gestured to Hook, who came forward immediately.

“You’re following Knight Squad in, but your orders are to clear the back half of the first floor and find out if there’s another exit.  Hold until the order to clear out comes, understood?”  Kara asked.

“Understood,” Hook nodded.

Kara turned to Blaze, “On my six and ready to fire, Blaze.”

“As ever, General,” Blaze replied.

Kara had been on more of these raids than she could count, had watched them before she ever joined in.  This was the first one she’d ever led.  Still, the training held as she half crouched before peering around the corner.  Nobody on the door, which meant there were probably cameras.  Kara weighed going straight for the door or worrying about the street first.  She reached for the Force, and it came, but sluggishly.  They had something that blocked the Force, no doubt some Sith artifact.  She’d encountered one before, although that one had been a collar.

Blessing Honso’s memory for insisting she participate in some of the Judicial training courses before she could go on raids with him, Kara prepared herself for what came next.

She held up her hand, and moved, darting across the street quickly and ducking around the corner from the front door.  Her squads were right on her heels.  Kara sighed and promised that she would teach them how to be subtle.  Then she slid around the corner and made her way to the door, ducking under the long, narrow windows that ran along the front of the building.  At the door, she listened, letting the sluggish Force tell her what it could, which wasn’t much.

Kara lit her lightsaber and used it to carefully unlock the doors, moving so that the door she wasn’t in front of opened first.

Nothing happened.

Kara pushed her door inward and slid inside.  She took three steps forward, the Force vanished, and the droids attacked.  Kara stumbled, throwing herself to the side to let her men come forward even as she tried to get her equilibrium back.  This was nothing like that collar.

She was vaguely aware of her men surrounding her as she went to her knees and her head spun.

“Are you hit?”

Kara waved her hand out and it was caught.  She blinked a few times and then she was staring at the white helmet with the red medic’s mark.  Bones.

“What?”  Kara gasped.

“Did you get hit?”  Bones say.

“No,” Kara managed.  “Not- not physical, the Force.”

Something exploded, and the Force rushed back into her, a euphoric experience that made Kara shudder and lean into Bones.

“Sir,” Bones said.

“Just a minute,” Kara said, suddenly aware of Val’s location in the Force, and felt his recognition of her and his patience.  Finally, she felt steady and stood up.

“Sir,” Bones said again.

Kara shook her head, “There was something, it blocked the Force.  I- I never felt.”  She shook her head, “never mind, I’m in better.  Let’s go get Val.”

“Yes sir,” Bones said as Kara took in the room.  It was large, the ceiling at least two stories above them, with a duracrete floor.  The sort of place that would be used to store freight but was now filled with her men and droids.  At the north end of the room were two stories worth of offices, and that’s where Kara headed.  She called her dropped saber to her hand as she went, sliding past Rusty and Mash to deflect a shot.

“Back with us sir?”  Mash asked.

“Let’s go,” Kara said.

One of the offices they passed had been exploded, but there was no time for Kara to look inside.  Beside that office was a hall that led to stairs heading down.  Kara hefted her saber and headed down, Knight Squad behind her.

The stairs switched back and when Kara reached the landing, she could see the room beyond.  She froze, because this was her vision in real life.

Jaran Val was tied down and shaking.  His dreads were obscuring his face, but Kara could tell that he was waiting for the right moment.

Droids filling the room, several of them with guns too close to Val’s head.

Kara scanned the room and signaled her squad to hold.  _Come on, Ghost, don’t let me down,_ she thought.

Several blaster shots came into the room, striking the droids who were closest to Val.  Then droid poppers went off, taking out even more.  Kara threw herself forward, cutting her way through the droids that remained standing until she was beside Val.

“Don’t move,” Kara said and spun her saber, braking the shackles.

“Did you bring my gloves?”  Val asked.

Kara turned her head, “Bones, gloves!”

A pair of black, leather gloves shot through the air.  Val held out a shaking hand, taking control of them.  “Thank you.”

“Thank Lieutenant Creeper,” Kara replied, “he reminded me.  Do you want the saber or the blaster?”

Val stared at her.

“What?”  Kara asked, “We still need to get out of here, and I’m not stupid enough to think we won’t be fighting.”

“Blaster,” Val said, “I’m steady enough for a saber.”

“Have they been blocking the Force this whole time?”  Kara asked as she handed over the blaster.

“No,” Val shook his head, “I’m pretty sure I was sedated for however long.  That started after the last time they fed me.”

Kara nodded slightly and glanced around, the droids were down and half of Shadow Squad had joined Knight Squad.  “Where’s everyone else?”  She asked them.

“Upstairs.”

“Right,” Kara said, “let’s move.”

They hit fighting again in the warehouse as more droids began to pour through the large door opposite of their original entrance.

“Sir,” Hook said clearing a mess of clones.  “Word from the Captain.”

“Report,” Kara said.

“The Seps have made landfall north of here, except for a single transport that hit the city.  _Retrieval_ says they seem to be focused on our area.”  Hook replied with a salute.

“Basically, the warehouse is surrounded?”  Kara asked.

“Yes sir.”

“What’s the air like?”  Kara asked, considering her options.

“Most of it’s going after the _Retrieval_ and the _Justified,_ ” Hook said.

“Get Swoop on the comms, tell him to come pick us up,” Kara decided, “get everyone headed this way, the stairs up are back here.”

“Yes sir,” Hook saluted.

“The roof?”  Val said.

Kara half closed her eyes, “Lieutenant Ghost!”

“Yes sir,” came a voice to her right.

“Report!”  Kara ordered as she took out a small group of droids.

“Heck of a lot of droids,” Ghost called back, “but nothing surprising upstairs.”

“Great,” Kara said, “get your squad and escort General Val to the roof.  We’re going out by air.”

“Understood,” Ghost said.

“Now wait just a minute,” Val began.

Kara rolled her eyes, “And mind how you handle him, he’s fragile.”  Then she turned, picked a cluster of droids that had singled out Bang and dove in, lightsaber dealing havoc on the droids.

“All right sir, Swoop’s incoming,” Blaze said.

“Everyone’s getting out?”  Kara asked.

“We’re the last group.”

Kara moved back, shoulder to shoulder with Blaze and Chip until they reached the hallway.  The hall was narrow enough that Kara was last out, with Chip’s blaster on her shoulder, keeping her focused on her purpose until they reached the stairs.

“Door,” Chip said.

“Saw it,” Kara replied, and slammed the metal sliding door shut once they were all clear.  “Up we go.”

“That’s not going to hold long,” Blaze pointed out.

“Then Swoop had better get down here fast,” Kara retorted as she turned and raced up the stairs on Chip’s heels.

They were on the last landing when the door below them crashed open, “Kriffing run,” Kara snapped when Chip’s steps faltered.  Swoop’s shuttle was as close to the door as he could probably get and Kara kept her pace behind her men, intent on being last on.

It was a good idea until Kara’s foot caught on the ramp and she fell, hand swinging to catch herself, only to hit the ramp before she was ready and taking her weight at the worst angle.  She rolled, and hands were grabbing her to drag her into the ship before she’d even managed to process the pain of a snapped bone.

“Go, we’re in,” Blaze snapped into the shuttle as he and Chip helped Kara off the ramp.  Kara pulled her arm close, “Medic!”  Blaze added.

“Here,” Bones said.

Kara forced herself to breath as Bones knelt down beside her, gentle hands drawing her arm out where he could see it.

“Well,” Bones said, “it’s definitely broken.”

Kara shook her head slightly, “Yeah.  Now, let’s get back to base, and someone get me an update on Zip.  Don’t drug me just yet, I want to know what’s going on.”

“Are you sure,” Bones asked, touching a part of Kara’s arm.

Kara hissed softly, considered what Bones would have to do, and shook her head, “Drug me.  Just drug me.  Is Saneone here yet?”

“No, not for a few hours,” Blaze said.

“I’d like to meet him when he gets here,” Kara said.

“I’ll do my best,” Bones said and injected her with a pain killer.

/././..\\.\\.\

Jaran swore when the girl, Jedi, went down.  He clinched his hands, wishing he had his clothes, anything other than a blanket that had last been used by someone who had been naked at the time.

“She’ll be okay,” one of the clones said, “pain meds just hit her hard.”

“Right,” Jaran said, he blinked a few times, “I’m sorry, but, who is she?”

“General Kara Saje,” the clone said.  “I’m Sergeant Blaze, Knight Squad of the 425th.  We’re the GAR’s Search and Rescue team.”

“Oh,” Jaran said.  “Jaran Val.”

“Yes sir,” Sergeant Blaze said.

“What is the situation?”  Jaran asked.

“The 429th is dealing with a separatist attack under command of Captain Zip.  We’re expecting a commander to come in soon, but he’s not here and the clankers are.  Our standing orders are to get you back to medical to get you checked over.”  Blaze said.

“And the battle?”  Jaran asked, torn between getting some pain killers and clean clothes and his men.

“Zip’s got it,” Blaze said.  “One of the best strategists Kamino churned out, and when it comes to unconventional tactics he’s peerless.”

“And he’s a Captain,” Jaran said, making sure he had the facts.

“The General’s right upset about that,” Blaze said, “wanted him promoted to Commander, but High Command says he needs more experience first.”

Jaran rubbed his forehead, “I need to check on my men.”

“Sorry sir, medical first,” Blaze said.

“And armor,” someone else added, “I’m not telling the General we got him killed just after we pulled him out.”

Jaran glanced at the clones surrounding him, “I need to see my men.”

“And when you’re released from medical, we’ll take you there,” Blaze said calmly.  “You may be a general, sir, but you aren’t my general, and I’ve got my orders.”

Jaran decided that, at this moment, it was best to go along with them.  He had a feeling at least one of them would have no problems shooting him if it meant they’d follow Saje’s orders.


	12. Wrapping Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara tries to wrap up a few loose ends before leaving Aurin.

Kara came back to herself with her nose stinging from the antiseptic smell in the air and the sounds of a low voiced, angry argument.  “I have sat here long enough, I want to see my people.”

Kara shuddered slightly and moaned as her arm began to throb.

“General, you’re awake!”

That was Bones, sounding far too happy for Kara’s peace of mind, she opened her eyes and began to sit up.

“Hold on,” Bones said, and the bed began to rise.

“What’s going on?”  Kara asked.

“The Seps have been routed, Zip and Saneone are tag teaming after actions on site.  The wounded just started arriving, so Screech and the 429th medics are here working.  General Val’s been a demanding ass.”  Bones shrugged.

“Hey!”

That was Jaran Val, glaring at them from across the infirmary.

“It’s probably true,” Kara told him.  “Bones doesn’t exactly pull punches, but he doesn’t exaggerate either.”

“I just want to see my men,” Jaran said.

“So do I,” Kara said, she looked down at her casted arm and wrinkled her nose, “We’re in no shape to be out there though.  What’s the point in promoting officers and all that training they’ve got if you’re going to hold their hand every time there’s a battle?  I trust Zip to do what he says he can do, and that he’s not going to get in over his head.”  She turned to Bones, “Did we lose anyone in the warehouse?  I didn’t notice, but I was kind of busy.”

“Just injuries,” Bones said, “Chip got shot in the ass.  Milo’s in bacta for a day or so.”

“When did Chip get shot?”  Kara asked.

“I’m not sure,” Bones shook his head, “I was distracted by Milo.”

“Are you needed with the other wounded?”  Kara asked, “I mean, I could sit here and talk with Jaran if you needed to leave?”

Bones shook his head, “I volunteered to keep an eye on the 425th wounded so Screech could help with the 429th.”

“Is there anything else I need to be aware of?”  Kara asked.

“Coruscant sent a message,” Bones said after a moment, “we told them you were in medical, and they said to tell you that they retrieved the Chancellor, and you were to proceed to the station immediately.  General Val and the _Justified_ are to report to Coruscant as soon as the fight’s over.”

“Wonderful,” Kara said.

“Zip also left a message about Lieutenant Creeper’s mission,” Bones said, “Lieutenant Creeper and Lieutenant Kodah have moved the… package… to a safe location, and are awaiting new orders.”

“Did you co-op all my men?”  Jaran demanded.

“I assumed temporary command on orders from the High Council for the duration of my mission to find and rescue you,” Kara shot back.  “Keep your nose out of this, the Lieutenants’ work is what made it possible for me to find you.  Besides, I’m mostly positive your captains hated me and only followed orders because they didn’t have a choice if they wanted you back.”

“Well, they were also afraid of you sticking them to the ceiling and leaving them there,” Bones said.

Kara grinned, “It was an effective negotiating tool.”

“What did you do?”  Jaran asked, not sounding aggressive, merely curious.

“I established my credentials by lifting one of them, Jaws I believe, into the air.  Made the point pretty quickly that I was in charge,” Kara replied.

“In the General’s defense, she shot at my squadmate when she took over the 425th,” Bones said.

“You shot someone?”  Jaran asked.

“Shot _at_ ,” Kara corrected, “just some trick shooting.  Nothing too crazy.”

“Why?”  Jaran asked.

“Master Honso always said that it’s one thing to be given command by your superiors, it’s quite another to be followed by those who are supposed to follow.  The best way to prove yourself capable is to make the point early on that you aren’t afraid of them, and that you can handle any situation that comes up.”  Kara replied.

Bones cleared his throat, “I’m going to see if there’s any more news, sir.  Should I bring back anything?”

“Food?”  Kara asked, “I’m feeling hungry.”

“Of course,” Bones said, “I’ll be back.”

Shortly after Bones left, Jaran clapped his hands, “Now I remember!”

“I’m sorry?”  Kara asked.

“I’ve been trying to remember why you were familiar,” Jaran said, “we did that project in history, and you did yours on Darth Bane.”

Kara smiled, “He was an influential person who’s impact on the Jedi has lasted far beyond his time.  It fit the requirements.”

“Master Duonne wasn’t sure whether to praise your creative thinking or censure you for hitting up the forbidden archives.”  Jaran said.

“To be fair, Master Honso got me those references,” Kara said, “It didn’t say anywhere that I couldn’t use my Master as a resource.”  She smiled, “Thank you.”

“What for?”  Jaran asked.

“For not mentioning the damned fountain incident,” Kara said.  “Far too many Jedi remember me for that fiasco, and not something I’ve actually done.”

Jaran frowned a moment, “I don’t remember that, but then I’m not at my best right now.”

“Are you okay?”  Kara asked.

Jaran shrugged, “Physically, all that’s wrong are my wrists, and my legs aren’t happy with the way I was tied down, but other than that, most of the issue is mental.  I don’t know what you remember about my ability?”

Kara considered, “You’re strong.  Asara, Asara Kez, said you were too strong for your own good.  You wear gloves because you have to, to stay sane.”

“Sounds about right,” Jaran nodded, “there was a lot of empathic residue in that place, and I wasn’t exactly dressed properly.”

Kara noticed he was wearing a pair of tight black pants and a long sleeve turtle neck, “Isn’t that the undersuit for trooper armor?”

“Yes,” Jaran said with a shrug, “it’s warm and I don’t have to worry about touching things.”

Kara held up her hands, “No judgement, just making sure I wasn’t crazy.”  She hesitated a minute, “How did they capture you anyways?”

Jaran smiled bitterly, “A pair of B2s pulled me away from the patrol, then they hit us with a bunch of concussion missiles.  I’m not sure if I was targeted, or if it was an accident, but I’m pretty sure I got pitched into a tree.  I don’t know what happened to anyone else.”

Kara bit her lip, then shook her head, “I’m sorry, all we ever managed to find was some of their armor.  We started at your last known location and spiraled outwards.  I tried to find anything in the Force, but there was nothing.”

“Damn,” Jaran said.  “That’s just not right.”  He hesitated, “Don’t suppose you found my lightsabers?”

“I came across one of the crystals,” Kara said, “it’s safe right now.”

“Actually, I can answer that.”  Zip said as he came in.

“The battle’s over?”  Kara asked, scanning her captain for injury.

“Someone sent a shutdown order,” Zip said, “they keeled over mid-fight.”

Kara laughed at the disgruntled look on Zip’s face, “Right in the middle of a brilliant piece of strategy?”

“Exactly,” Zip said, shaking his head slightly, then he turned to Jaran.  “Sir, your lightsabers were brought to us by means I’m not permitted to disclose at this moment.  They’ve been dismantled, but all but one of the crystals is present.”

“The courier is safe?”  Kara asked.

“I’ve been assured so,” Zip said.  “I asked one of our local guides for advice.”

Kara nodded slightly, “All right,” she looked over at Jaran, “One of your kidnappers was coerced, they threatened his family.  They used the crystal as a silent cry for help.  The family’s safe.”

“He survived,” Zip said, “handled the gunship that brought me in.  He’s grounded and escorted.”

“Excellent,” Kara said.  “And the Commander?”

“Well,” Zip rocked back on his heels a moment, “Are you aware that he brought troopers with him?”

“Not exactly,” Kara said.

“He did, I think it’s his unit.  Chip saw them, said ‘fuck no’ and tried to crawl out of bed.  Screech sedated him.”

Kara laughed, “That sounds like the good kind of story.”

“I wouldn’t know about that sir,” Zip said.  “I have the preliminary casualty reports.”

“Let Jaran have those, they’re his men,” Kara said.  “I’ll look over them when I’m not hallucinating purple banthas.”

Zip stared at her for a moment, as if trying to discern how serious she was, then he turned and walked over to Jaran’s bed and saluted.  Kara resettled her shoulders and pillows, then closed her eyes and slipped into a healing trance to try to encourage her arm to heal faster.  It wasn’t one of her better talents, but Kara could do enough to help healing at least a little.

/././..\\.\\.\

Kara met with Ikenna and Nyarai Bani in her conference room two days later.  Her arm was still braced, but that was only a precaution to keep Screech and Bones happy.

“Captain Bani, Madam Bani,” Kara said when they came in.

“General Saje,” Ikenna replied, “thank you for protecting my family.”

Kara smiled, “Thank you.  Your words provided me with the key to putting together all the clues.  I’ve been in contact with the Republic’s judicial forces, and they’ve agreed to full immunity in response to a complete testimony from you and from Lieutenant Junad.”

Ikenna bowed his head, “I hadn’t expected so much.”  He reached over to take his wife’s hand, “There is another matter.”

“Yes?”  Kara asked.

“Our children, Jaymez and Britauni, are Force sensitive,” Nyarai replied.  “Jaymez was tested when he was two, and Britauni has always been on his heels in these matters.  We intended to see them to the Temple, but the war.”

Kara nodded, “I will not hold their fate to your own, Madame.  Knight Val is returning to Coruscant by the end of the week, and I cannot speak for him, but we can ask.”

“I have to stay,” Ikenna said, “Aurin’s about to go through a huge political upheaval.  I can’t leave.”

“I’m not allowed,” Nyarai said, touching her distended stomach, “the pregnancy has been troubled enough.”

“You would send them alone?”  Kara asked.

“They have each other, and the Jedi will be as their family,” Nyarai said, although her smile was sad.

Kara let her awareness drift a bit, “Would it help if I said that I don’t think your baby is Force sensitive?”

“Can you tell?”  Nyarai asked.

“Sometimes, especially if I go deep,” Kara admitted, “but it’s invasive.”

Nyarai glanced at Ikenna, who sighed, “It would be good to know.”

Kara shifted forward and held out her hand, “May I?”

“Yes,” Nyarai said.

Kara placed her hand gently over the fetus and let herself fall into full Force awareness for an eternal moment.  When she came back she smiled at them, “They’re not.  Maybe enough sensitivity to have a good gut instinct, but that’s about it.”

“You couldn’t tell the gender?”  Nyarai asked.

“Do you want to know?”  Kara asked.

“A little,” Nyarai admitted.

Kara shook her head, “They are, well, non-binary.  Neither male or female, not in the Force.”

“Third gendered,” Nyarai said and chuckled, “I always said I wanted one of each.”

“Indeed,” Ikenna said, pulling Nyarai over to kiss her forehead, “Thank you, General.”

“You’re welcome,” Kara replied.

The door to the conference room banged open and two figures came running in, dragging, to Kara’s hastily concealed amusement, Chip.  “Momma,” the shorter of the two, an adorable little girl said gleefully, “He’s a nebula!”

“A nebula?”  Nyarai asked.

The older child, a boy, was staring at Kara, eyes wide.

“Hi,” Kara said.

“You’re pretty,” the boy said quietly, “like a mosac.”

“A what?” Kara asked.

“A mosaic?”  Ikenna asked, “Is that what you meant, Jaymez?”

Jaymez nodded, “All pretty colors.”

“Thank you,” Kara said.  She could tell this boy with purple eyes was Force sensitive, to her, it was like standing near a fire, maybe not a bonfire, but definitely one of those fires built in a double hearth to heat a large room.

The little girl who leaned around him to stare at her wasn’t as strong, but Kara had met trained Jedi who didn’t have that much depth to their strength.

“Kara, there are child-ren,” Jaran said, leaning in the room, hesitating as he took everything in.

“General Val,” Kara smiled, “a moment of your time.”

“Of course,” Jaran said.

“Have you met Captain Bani?”  Kara asked as Chip moved out of Jaran’s way.

“Once or twice, I believe,” Jaran said, offering his hand to the other man.

“General,” Ikenna replied.  “I’m sorry for what happened.”

Jaran inclined his head slightly, “Kara’s explained the circumstances, you have my forgiveness.”

“This is my wife, Nyarai,” Ikenna said, “and our children, Jaymez and Britauni.”

“Madam,” Jaran said, bowing to Nyarai, then he knelt to the children’s level.  “Hello.”

Jaymez stared at him, head cocked, “Do your hands hurt you?”

“My hands?”  Jaran looked down at them for a moment, then smiled at Jaymez, “Sometimes.  It’s hard, when they show me things.  But hard things are sometimes important.”

“It hurts when I see,” Jaymez said, “but not all the time.  Sometimes it makes me happy.”

Jaran’s smile was laced with pain, “I know what you mean.”

“I’m supposed to be a Jedi,” Jaymez said, “but the bad droids came.”  He gestured to his sister, “Brit too, but she doesn’t see like I do.”

Jaran nodded, and looked up at the Bani’s, “He’s for the Temple?”

“Both of them,” Ikenna replied, “if the Seps ever stop attacking.”

Kara cleared her throat, “We were going to ask if you’d escort them?”

“Of course,” Jaran said, he offered his hand to Jaymez, “I’m Jedi Knight Jaran Val, and it would be my honor to escort you.”

“Thank you,” Jaymez said, “I’m Jaymez, and this is Britauni.”

Running feet heralded the arrival of Blaze, who actually ran into the door jam in his rush, “Sir, news from Coruscant.  We’ve got another mission.  General Windu said to get moving and he’d explain on the way.”

Kara straightened up, “Get Zip,” she paused, “and Saneone, and get them on rounding up the men.  See to it that our supplies are separated from the 429th.  Chip, go check with Screech, get me an active list.”

“Yes sir,” Chip saluted and followed Blaze out the door.

Kara turned, “You’ll have to forgive me, I have to leave.  It was an honor and pleasure to work with you, Captain Bani, and to meet you, Madam Bani.  Jaran, you have everything right?”

“We’ll get that one to Coruscant, no worries” Jaran said, standing up.  “May the Force be with you, Kara Saje.”

“And with you, Jaran Val, Jaymez Bani, Britauni Bani,” Kara gave them a bow and then headed out the door, already running through her short list of things that still needed to go back to the _Retrieval._   It was time to get back to work.


End file.
